663 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 44 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing Summarizing
General News   

Idlib action signals an endgame to the conflict

By       (Page 1 of 2 pages)   No comments

Steven Sahiounie
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Steven Sahiounie
Become a Fan
  (2 fans)

Russia's military said on Wednesday that it had agreed with Turkey to open two crossing points in the Idlib de-escalation zone in Syria and one near Aleppo. This could be a precursor to opening humanitarian corridors to allow civilians and aid organizations to leave ahead of heavy battles.

By taking control of Jabal Al-Zawiya, Russian and Syrian forces could surround all the terrorist positions in Idlib. Russia would achieve its immediate goals in Idlib and continue to pressure Turkey. The civilian population in the hilly areas has left well ahead of recent escalations and this prevents a mass exodus of refugees crossing into Turkey.

A risk remains of a Russian-Syrian clash with Turkish forces when the major military operation begins.

On October 27, Turkey sent hundreds of more troops into northern Syria in preparation for a long-suspended offensive against American-backed Kurdish forces after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled he was planning a new campaign after many attacks by Kurdish YPG forces.

Turkey's parliament on Tuesday ratified a motion extending authorization to launch cross-border anti-terrorist operations in northern Iraq and Syria for two more years. Both Turkey and the US are illegally occupying Syria with military forces.

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian Al Qaeda affiliate, is consolidating its control over Idlib, and its leader is Abu Mohamed al-Jolani.

HTS fought with the terrorists of Jund al-Sham, who are led by Muslim al-Shishani, after which he and his 70 militants agreed on a ceasefire with HTS. However, al-Shishani's decision did not stop the bloodshed and fighting in the Jabal al-Turkman area in the north of Latakia continues. Intense battles happened between HTS and Jund Allah, a group of Azerbaijani terrorists led by Abu Fatima al-Turki.

HTS, classified as international terrorists, had already fought Ikhwat al-Manhaj, another terrorist group, in an attempt to solely dominate areas of the northwest of Syria.

All of these groups protect wanted persons for criminal cases, rapists, and thieves who steal from the civilians of the area.

Last Sunday evening, HTS sent five military columns, armed with heavy weapons and medium machine guns, to Jabal al-Turkman in the countryside of Lattakia, and to the vicinity of the city of Jisr al-Shughur, west of Idlib province, to fight other terrorist groups to establish the domination of the area.

Jolani tried re-branding HTS to transition from a wanted terrorist to a western-supported political leader in Idlib. In July, he said he was seeking a new relationship with the west and gave several interviews with western journalists that supported later papers and policy briefings advising Western governments to reverse their designation (HTS) as a terrorist organization, and his terrorist label bestowed by the US in 2013.

Jolani and HTS stand accused of human-rights violations, including indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas, torture, and arbitrary arrests of civilians.

In 2017, Jolani said in an interview with Al Jazeera that the only way a minority group in Syria could be spared slaughter would be by renouncing their religion.

HTS is protected by Turkey, while Russia and Syria target them under the rules of engagement calling for the elimination of terrorist groups in Syria. HTS has dreams of emerging from the battlefield as a political party able to sit at the negotiating table in the final political solution for Syria called for by the US and UN.

Russia continues to insist on drawing a line between terrorists and moderate opposition groups, and the safety of the M4 highway.

The 2020 Moscow agreement, which is an annex to the Sochi Agreement of 2018, gives Russia the option of targeting terrorists in Idlib. The Russia-Turkish agreement stipulates that the armed-opposition groups maintain a six-kilometer distance from both sides of the highway. Turkey has prevented implementation of the agreement they signed.

Next Page  1  |  2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Rate It | View Ratings

Steven Sahiounie Social Media Pages: Facebook Page       Twitter Page       Linked In Page       Instagram Page

I am Steven Sahiounie Syrian American award winning journalist and political commentator Living in Lattakia Syria and I am the chief editor of MidEastDiscours I have been reporting about Syria and the Middle East for about 8 years

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter

Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Free Syrian Army Sold Kayla Mueller to ISIS

Ukraine and its Nazis

Lebanese migrant boat sunk off Tripoli with 60 onboard

US proxy wars in Ukraine, Syria, and China may be next

Like Cuba in 1962, is Ukraine a chessboard for superpowers?

Palestine tensions may erupt in escalation

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend