Idlib ... station of international transactions on Syrian lands

NEWS DESK

Idlib is located in the north of Syria, 60 km away from Aleppo and 120 km from Lattakia and 330 km from the Syrian capital Damascus. The population of the city with its villages according to the 2010 census is 2 million people of different components, Arabs , Kurds and Syriac. The city is located on the northern gate of Syria and overlooks Turkey. It is administratively divided into five main administrative areas: Idlib, Eriha, Marat al-Numan, Jisr al-Shughour and Harem.

Idlib and the Syrian Revolution?

Idlib was one of the first Syrian provinces that demonstrated against the rule of the Baathist regime in 2011 and it joined the Syrian Revolution at that time and was the first cities that moved to used arms against the regime late in the same year in early 2012 several villages and towns came out of control of the regime under the control of the so-called " Free army "of the Syrian opposition.

Many armed forces and factions  formed between 2012 and 2015, where initially a faction called "Jaish al-Fateh" supported by the Turkish state and Qatar formed, and this army joined several factions like "Ahrar al-Sham, Jabhat al-Nasra, Jund al-Aqsa, Jaish al-Sunna, Faileq al-Sham, Liwa al-Heq, and Ejnad al-Sham. After months of clashes, the Turkish and Qatari backed factions took full control of the city.

Battles between the armed factions in the city

After the factions took control of the city, many battles broke out against Jaish al-Fateh and Fateh al-Sham and al-Nasra, forcing many of its factions to join the factions of the movement "Ahrar al-Sham," and Jund al-Aqsa withdrew from the Jaish al-Fateh after being accused of belonging to IS mercenaries.

In the period following the exit of the opposition from eastern Aleppo, the most powerful opposition factions, "Ahrar al-Sham" movement joined "Jaish al-Ahrar" and joined Haet Tehrir al-Sham formed by Jabhet Fateh al-Sham, many of the factions in the province, notably the "Faileq al-Sham, al-Ferqa al-Sahelia al-Suria, Jabhat al-Nukhba, Jaish Edleb al-Her, and Jaish al-Ahrar" ordered it to agree on integration under the name of "al-Jabha al-Wetania Leltahrir."

Turkish intervention in Syrian affairs changed the course of the revolution in Idlib

Turkey supported the terrorist gangs located in Idlib under different names and through the use of border crossings with weapons and ammunition, while Turkey formed armed factions in the areas of Jrablos and al-Bab, to launch the first operation of gangs " Euphrates shield " on  August24, 2016, Turkey occupied Jrablos and its countryside, later on, on  October17, 2016, the Turkish-backed factions entered al-Bab to occupy it in a few days.

After Turkey occupied some Syrian areas began to support the free army factions in the Syrian areas to use them for their personal interests in the Syrian areas because the ambitions were not Jrablos and al-Bab only, but extended its ambitions to Afrin and Aleppo and the rest of the Syrian areas.

The Turkish state was unable to advance in the outskirts of Aleppo and to get close to Afrin because of the Russian presence. Turkey resorted to deals to satisfy the Russian side, after which Russia, Iran and Turkey met at the Astana summit to negotiate the sharing of Syrian territories.

Astana meeting is an agreement to enter the Turkish army to Idlib and establish  border control points

The Guarantors of the Astana's Path, Russia, Turkey and Iran met on  September 15,2017. During the meeting, the parties reached agreement on the establishment of a tension reduction zone in the Idlib in accordance with the May 2017 agreement. The sixth round of Astana negotiations on the Syrian crisis was agreed upon.

The three countries agreed to deploy observers in Idlib to ensure respect for the ceasefire between the opposition and the regime. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that observers from the three countries will be deployed at checkpoints and control in the safe areas on the border of the reduction zone in Idlib under the control of the groups calling itself the opposition, adding that their mission is "to prevent clashes between the forces of the regime and the opposition or any violation of the truce "and the text of the final statement of the negotiations on the identification of areas to reduce the escalation in Syria as a temporary measure for six months can be extended.

After the agreement of Astana the Turkish state strengthened its forces near the border with Syria, and the announcement of the arrival of a military convoy consisting of about 80 armored personnel carriers of the Turkish occupation to the border with Syria, the Turkish forces stationed in the "old camp" near al-Rehania city on the opposite side Bab al-Hawa crossing in the northern countryside of Idlib.

While the Turkish state entered its forces to the observation points distributed in the areas of Idlib countryside, preceded by the establishment of similar points distributed in the countryside of Western Aleppo, as follows:

The 1st point :in Selwa west Aleppo's countryside overlooking Aleppo.

The 2nd point :al-Sheikh Berka mount West of Aleppo's countryside.

The 3rd point: al-Shiekh Aqil in Semaan West of Aleppo's countryside.

The 4th point : Al-Iss hill south of Aleppo countryside.

The 5th point al-Tweqan hill west of abu al-Zohor town west of Idleb's countryside.

The 6th point Sewame al-Serman in east of Maret al-Noman south of Idleb's countryside.

The most prominent of the military factions' departure witnessed by Syrian regions and the entry of similar factions, including "Idlib"

In May 2014, factions of the so-called "opposition" agreed to leave their stronghold in the old town of Homs (Weset), Syria's third largest city, which was described as "the capital of the revolution" after a two-year siege. Between the regime and the opposition fighters since the beginning of the conflict in March 2011, and between mid-March and May 2017, thousands of civilians left al-Waer, the last stronghold of opposition factions in Homs, allowing the regime's forces to regain full control of the city.

In August 2016, opposition factions left Daria in Damascus province under an agreement that ended four years of bombing and siege imposed by the regime on the city. Opposition's fighters and their families were moved to Idlib province in northwestern Syria while the army took over Daria.

After a heavy siege, intensive bombardment, rockets and air strikes that provoked angry international reactions and destroyed the eastern part of the city, the Syrian army in December 2016 took control of Aleppo, Syria's second largest city, after tens of thousands of opposition fighters and civilians under an agreement sponsored by Iran, Russia and Turkey.

In the eastern al-Ghouta and after a weeks-long military operation, the Syrian regime and its ally Russia began to conclude evacuation agreements to oust the opposition factions. More than 46,000 people, a quarter of them fighters, arrived in Idlib, according to official figures. Thousands of others, including members of Jaish al-Islam and civilians from Douma, were transferred to the northern province of Aleppo.

In May 2017, the regime concluded a reconciliation agreement in the neighborhoods of Barza, al-Qaboun and Teshrin under the control of the opposition in Damascus. Thousands of civilians and fighters headed towards Idlib, allowing the regime to control the three neighborhoods completely.

The regime regained control of al-Dameer town in April, Yelda on May 10, as well as Bebila, Beit Sahm towns and al-Yarmouk refugee camp on 21 and 22 of May.

On July 15, the factions evacuated hundreds of fighters and civilians from Daraa to the northern city of Idlib, where the Syrian opposition reached an agreement in talks with the Russian side on Daraa, including the start of the delivery of weapons in stages, the deployment of members of the Russian military police near the border with Jordan. According to the agreement, the truce took place in the south of Syria, while the Syrian regime police received al-Nisib border crossing, while the evacuation procedures continue until they are completely evacuated from the armed gangs.

 The latest statistics of military gangs in Idlib?

A large number of armed factions stationed in Idlib, especially after the evacuation process that took place in the Syrian areas through agreements between the Russian and Turkish parties according to the latest statistics of the factions located in Idlib is as follows:

Ahrar al-Sham Movement : The number of fighters is 15 thousand fighters, mostly Syrians, and has several offices: political, media and service, and oversees the Bab al-Hawa crossing.

"Ahrar al-Sham" Movement is one of the opposition factions that emerged during the Syrian revolution by the union of four Islamic factions, Kataib Ahrar al-Sham, the Islamic Fajr Movement, Islamic al-Talia Jemae and Kataib al-Iman al-Muqatila.

"Faileq al-Sham": 8,000 fighters with a political media office, partially affiliated with the Free Army factions and is an alliance of Islamist opposition groups formed to strengthen the power of Islamists in the armed conflict in Syria. The coalition was formed from 19 different groups, some of which had previously belonged to the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and Hiet Dere al-Thewra.

 Jaish al-Mujahideen: The approximate number of this faction a thousand fighters and has a media office only.

Fursan al-Haq: An organization that is formed in 2012 and is estimated to have about 2,000 fighters, a faction of the "Free Army", located in Kufranbel.

Seqoor al-Sham: With 6,000 fighters, this faction is fighting alongside the Free Army.

Faction of Esteqem Kema Omert: The number of fighters in this faction is 2,000 fighters, located in the countryside of Aleppo, west and the countryside Idlib.

Fateh al-Sham organization: The new name of mercenaries of Jabhat al-Nasra, with a total of 6,000 fighters, some of whom are foreigners of Western and Arab nationalities.

Liwa al-Haq: A faction of about 2,000 fighters based in Seraqeb in the village of Idlib, close to the Fateh al-Sham organization.

Jund al-Aqsa faction includes 1,000 fighters, who recently joined Fatah al-Sham organization and is close to IS mercenaries.

The Islamic Council of Syria: The Islamic Council includes about 40 bodies and an Islamic association, headed by Osama Rifai.

Idlib ... the content of relations and meetings between Russia and Turkey

Despite the truce imposed last May 4, which many described as "a calm ahead of the storm, the recent expectations began to revolve around the upcoming events that will take place within areas in the north of Syria, which is limited within the province of Idlib in addition to the countryside of Aleppo and the western parts of the northern Aleppo countryside .

The scenario for the future of Idlib is not clear, especially in the absence of any military operations against any party so far, while there are news of differences between Russia and Turkey on the fate of the Syrian city of Idlib, Russia, which entered the course of the Syrian revolution and supported the Syrian regime air and land In the Syrian regions to eliminate the terrorist gangs and factions almost reached their last targets and is preparing for a major military operation to eliminate all groups collected from all parts of Syria through agreements in the province of Idlib.

As for the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries which have emptied many Syrian areas during agreements with the Russians, they try to preserve the areas they occupy at the present time, while the Turkish occupation, through its presence in Idlib, extends to the countryside of Aleppo, which was previously abandoned.

The fate of Idlib which became the center of conflicts in the north of Syria, however, Russia and Turkey, after the completion of the evacuation of the province of Daraa of the armed factions ,the Syrian regime would head to the last largest strongholds of the presence of armed terrorist factions in Syria and if Turkey and Russia did not reach agreements and if Turkey did not withdraw its forces from Idlib, the region may witness major military operations leading to the end of Russian-Turkish relations.

A.H

ANHA