Idlib attacked 9 times in 24 hours

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HTS storms Jindires

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reports that the Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham terrorist group called for reinforcements to Afrin, Aleppo countryside

The Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham terrorist group, formerly known as Jabhat Al-Nusra or Al-Nusra Front, stormed the Syrian town of Jindires in Afrin, taking control over various parts of it, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported, saying that the storming took place amid confrontations in northwest Aleppo.

"Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham called for reinforcements from Jabal Zawiya South of Idlib toward the fronts in Afrin in the Aleppo countryside," an Al Mayadeen correspondent added.

As the developments were taking place, Turkish-backed factions were fighting in various regions of the cities north of Aleppo, northern Syria.

"Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham took advantage of the clashes and stormed [Jindires] in support of the Ahrar Al-Sham organization against the Third Corps in the Afrin countryside after the latter attacked a THS convoy in the Afrin countryside, which led to several casualties among the group's militants," Al Mayadeen's correspondent said.

Al Mayadeen correspondent also reported that HTS forces are advancing toward the city of Afrin in northern Syria from the northwest and south of the city, adding that the Third Corps militants reinforce their positions in the vicinity of the city to face Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham.

The situation in the northern region has been mostly calm after a military state of high alertness was declared between the factions of the Turkish-linked Syrian National Army.

Skirmishes between the factions of the Turkish-backed militia are nothing unusual, and it is most prominent around areas with border crossings. The infighting is used by Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham to increase its control outside of its stronghold in Idlib toward border crossings in a bid to take control of them.

Two Syrian children killed, six injured in Turkish aggression

Turkey is not only undermining Syria's security with the terrorist groups it backs, as its own forces launched an artillery attack two weeks ago on the Abu Rasin district, killing two Syrian children and injuring six others.

“Turkish occupation artillery fired two shells on Musheirfat Zarkan, a village to the north of Abu Rasin district in Hasaka northern countryside”, local sources said as quoted by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

The same sources added that Turkish troops also targeted the villages of Dada Abdal, Al-Nweihat, Umm Harmala, and others in the aforementioned district, causing material damage to the residents' properties.

It is worth noting that Syria continues to strengthen and reinforce its positions in the country in preparation for countering an aggression Turkey has announced earlier allegedly to fight Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants and establish a "safe zone" on Syrian soil.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... eppo-count

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Time Kurds pulled themselves together and UNITED to obtain INTERNATIONAL support for KURDISTAN

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Turkish army deploys to Afrin
Wladimir van Wilgenburg:

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Turkish army on Friday redeployed in Afrin, after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) entered Afrin on Thursday and clashes continued between rival factions in the area, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor reports

“Turkish forces redeployed in Jinderes district in Afrin countryside and Al-Bab city in northern Aleppo countryside, amid the arrival of more military reinforcements including tanks and personnel carriers to Afrin,” the SOHR report said.

The SOHR report said it was “an attempt to control the situation, after Turkish forces withdrew from the outskirts of Afrin city due to factional infightings erupting in the area.”
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) October 14, 2022

Charles Lister, a senior fellow and the Director of the Syria and Countering Terrorism and Extremism programs at the Middle East Institute (MEI), also shared a video on Twitter showing a Turkish army convoy patrolling Afrin, which he said shows that there is "no indication that Ankara seeks to reverse HTS’s push.

In a piece for the MEI, he noted that in June 2022, when HTS made a brief foray into Afrin, a phone call from a senior figure within Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) saw HTS forces turn back and return to Idlib.

"On this occasion, no such Turkish order appears to have come," he added. He added there is a "concern is now mounting that HTS intends to expand further toward Azaz."

Furthermore, SOHR noted that clashes are still taking place in a camp near Kafr Janna village, which HTS is trying to take control off.

”Turkey has taken a hands-off approach to Afrin. It has subcontracted Afrin to Syrian rebel groups, and has an intelligence presence but not a significant military presence,” Nicholas Heras, Deputy Director of the Human Security Unit at New Lines Institute in Washington DC, told Kurdistan 24.

Clashes erupted between Turkish factions spread to Afrin after Muhammad Abdullatif, known as Abu Ghannoum, a Syrian opposition activist was assasinated by a member of the Hamza division last week in Syria’s al-Bab.

While some Turkish-backed factions are allied to the HTS, others have attempted to prevent HTS expanding control in northwest Syria.

As a result of the infighting, the HTS for the first time could enter Afrin city that was under the control by Turkish-backed factions since Turkey and it's proxy forces took over Afrin in 2018.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/29 ... frin:-SOHR

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Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham enters Afrin

Field sources in the Aleppo countryside told Al Mayadeen that the latest agreement between Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and the Third Corps does not discuss the latter's withdrawal from HTS-controlled regions

Moreover, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham is said to be preparing for a large convoy to roam the Aleppo countryside from Afrin, passing through the cities of Al-Bab and Azaz, which the HTS has so far not established control over.

Al Mayadeen sources also noted that the deal has not yet been finalized and that negotiations are still ongoing to reach a new deal that takes all articles into consideration. Meanwhile, the preliminary deal states that all factions are to demobilize, while a ceasefire will be in effect.

Sources also revealed that HTS leader Al-Jolani is out to impose his terms on the agreement, which the Third Corps has yet to agree upon. In fact, the latter still maintains that Al-Jolani's men are to withdraw from areas they gained control of so that matters can go back to their pre-fighting status.

The sources also told Al Mayadeen that the agreement is still fragile, despite Turkey's supervision over matters, because of Al-Jolani's insistence on remaining in control of areas he recently entered, not to mention his desire to establish an entirely new administration for Aleppo's northern countryside in which his HTS would partake and have access to all tolls gained from checkpoints.

Meanwhile, armed groups are mobilizing in the cities of Al-Bab and Azaz to intercept the convoy, with calls over social media being made to prevent it from leaving Afrin.

The infighting between Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham and its allies, on the one hand, and the Third Corps, on the other, has so far resulted in more than 100 deaths and dozens of wounded and captives. 10 civilians were also killed, including four women and two children.
Hamza Division shells Al-Bab, east of Aleppo

In a related context, violent confrontations took place today between the Third Corps and the Hamza Division in the city of Al-Bab, northeast of Aleppo.

Our correspondent reported that a number of civilians were injured as a result of the infighting.

The Third Corps withdrew the text detailing its deal with Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham from its social media platforms today, signaling a failure between the two in committing to the 10-article agreement to cease confrontations and end the dispute between them.

800 families return to Idlib countryside

After Maarat Al-Numan was cleared of terrorists and basic services were restored to parts of the city, more than 800 families were returned amid celebrations to mark the joyous occasion.

Moreover, applications are still being accepted for families wishing to return to their homes in the city.

Idlib's governor clarified that those wishing to return to their homes need only provide a copy of their ID card and a title deed of their house.

Basic services, such as drinking water, electricity, bakeries, schools, and such are still being restored in other parts of the city.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... y-enters-a

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The situation in Afrin a ‘drama’

What is happening in the Kurdish city of Afrin in northwest Syria is a “drama,” a top Russian diplomat in Iraq told Rudaw on Tuesday, referring to the recent unrest caused by infighting between Turkey-backed forces

Kurdish forces, People’s Protection Units (YPG), controlled Afrin after Syrian regime forces withdrew from it in the beginning of an uprising in the country in 2011. The YPG established Afrin Canton which included the city and some surrounding areas. However, Turkey and its Syrian mercenaries invaded the city in 2018, causing the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Kurds as well as committing crimes against those who stayed.

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has been internationally recognized as a terrorist organization, in mid-October took control of Afrin city following clashes with pro-Turkey forces over the assassination of an activist. The US has called on the HTS to “immediately” withdraw from the city.

Russia, which considers HTS a terrorist organization, has supported Syrian regime in the fight against the HTS for years, especially in Idlib province.

Elbrus Kutrashev, Russian ambassador to Iraq, talked to Rudaw's Halabja Saadun on Tuesday about the unrest in Afrin.

“Regarding the situation in Afrin, this [what is happening there] is definitely a drama. This was the biggest Kurdish canton in Syria but now it has been invaded. We hear bad news that demographic changes are being carried out in the region,” he said.

The Kurdish population fell by more than 60 percent in only the first two years of the Turkish invasion, according to the Afrin-based Human Rights Organization. According to UN estimates, upwards of 150,000 Kurds have been displaced, most of them displaced to Shahba camp in Tel Rifaat, north of Aleppo.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/011120222

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Idlib attacked 9 times in 24 hours

The Russian reconciliation center for Syria reveals that Jabhat Al-Nusra has shelled Idlib's de-escalation zone nine times over the past day

The Jabhat Al-Nusra terrorist organization shelled the de-escalation zone of the Syrian city of Idlib nine times over the past 24 hours, Major General Oleg Yegorov, the deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Reconciliation Center in Syria told a press briefing.

"Nine shelling attacks from the positions of the Jabhat Al-Nusra terrorist group were registered in the Idlib de-escalation zone over the past day," Maj. Gen. Yegorov said.

"Six attacks were recorded in Idlib province, three in Latakia," he said.

Maj. Gen. Yegorov said one Syrian soldier was wounded in terrorist shelling in Latakia, and another one was wounded in Idlib.

Egorov had warned earlier in the month that terrorists from Jabhat Al-Nusra and the Islamic Party of Turkestan are planning to carry out attacks against the Russian Hmeimim Airbase in Syria using offensive and kamikaze drones.

"The militants of the terrorist groups Jabhat Al-Nusra and the Islamic Party of Turkestan are preparing an attack on the Hmeimim Russian Airbase in Syria using unmanned aerial vehicles in strike equipment and kamikaze drones," said the Major General.

Egorov added that the militants belonging to both terrorist groups have already prepared a large number of drones in workshops in the Khirbet Al-Joz region that are now ready to carry out the attack, noting that that the unmanned aerial vehicles are intended to be operated within a 70 km radius.

According to speculations regarding the plot of the militants, they intend to shower the base with drones in order to bypass Russian air defenses guarding the military facility that will be unable to engage with a large number of targets simultaneously.

Earlier in September, the Russian Reconciliation Centre for Syria stated that more than 45 militants of the Jabhat Al-Nusra terrorist group were killed in a Russian airstrike in Syria's Idlib province.

The Idlib de-escalation zone, which includes the Idlib governorate and parts of Aleppo, Hama, and Lattakia governorates, is the last stronghold of Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham militants, whose backbone is Jabhat Al-Nusra, as well as Turkey-backed militants.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... es-over-24

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Continue plunder Afrin's resources

The invading Turkish state continues to systematically plunder Afrin's main sources of income and nature. At least 200 more olive trees have been cut down in Sherawa district

War crimes are committed on a daily basis in Afrin, which has been under Turkish occupation since March 2018.

Apart from abductions, torture, arbitrary arrests, ransom demands and threats, people's main source of income and natural riches are systematically plundered by the Turkish forces.

According to information obtained, the Faylaq al-Sham mercenary group affiliated with the Turkish state has cut down 200 olive trees owned by a citizen named Cemo Omar from the Sherawa district.

On the other hand, Turkey-backed mercenary elements Mihemed Casim Abu Emşe and his brother Elemdar reportedly impose a tax of 800 dollars on the remaining Kurdish residents in the district of Şiyê.