Large-Scale Battle among Rival Terrorist Groups Imminent in Northwestern Syria

The sources said that simultaneous with the attacks of Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at (the Levant Liberation Board) on Ahrar al-Sham’s positions in Idlib province and the reports about a possible military meddling of the Turkish army in the province, the Idlib city has now come on the verge of a large-scale battle between the two rival groups.

The sources said Tahrir al-Sham has announced that its forces seized control over several sites of Ahrar al-Sham in Saraqib, around Ma’arat al-Nu’aman, Ma’arat Mesrin, Sarmin and in the slopes of al-Rawj plain from Sinjar direction, while both Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham have deployed their heavy arms in the conflict-prone regions, mainly in Western and Northern countryside of Idlib.

Media sources close to Ahrar al-Sham, meantime, said that the group’s field commanders have started reinvigorating their defense lines in the region.

Based on the sources, border regions with Turkey, including Harm, Darkoush and Salqin are more prone to intensifying clashes between Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham.

They added that Tahrir al-Sham has also started carrying out precautionary measures near the border with Turkey to be ready to face the Turkish army’s meddling to back up Ahrar al-Sham or other pro-Ankara militant groups.

Ahrar al-Sham has fortified its positions near several border passageways and its forces are on red alert in several strategic regions.

Tahrir al-Sham’s units have started patrolling in main streets in Idlib city, arresting a number of pro-Ahrar al-Sham and their allies.

Local sources reported on Saturday that simultaneous with the eruption of a fresh round of clashes with Ahrar al-Sham, the representatives of Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at traveled to Turkey to persuade the Turkish Army not to back up the rival terrorist group of Ahrar al-Sham in Northwestern Syria.

The sources said that while a number of senior members of Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at were in Turkey to negotiate about an imminent meddling of the Turkish army in Idlib, the terrorist group increased the number of its checkpoints in Idlib province.

The sources added that Tahrir al-Sham felt much worried about an operation of the Turkish army in support of Ahrar al-Sham rival group and, hence, called on Ahrar al-Sham to pull out its forces from Western Idlib in 48 hours.

A local source in the town of Kafr Takharim said that Tahrir al-Sham established a large number of checkpoints along the road connecting Idlib to the town of Salqin, erected walls and other forms of entanglement and deployed military vehicles behind them to enhance its defense capabilities.

Tahrir al-Sham, meantime, planted a large number of land mines near the entanglements.

The source further added that Tahrir al-Sham did not allow any group to carry missiles and arrested a number of militants on charges of assisting Ahrar al-Sham.