Idlib... heterogeneous scene complicated by colonial interventions, extremist ideologies

Idlib is located in northwest Syria, in the middle of the governorates of Aleppo, Hama and Lattakia, on an area of ​​6,100 km2, and it occupies a distinct and important location on the ancient Silk Road.

According to the 2010 census, the population of Idlib governorate reached 164,883 people, inhabited by Arabs along with Kurds and Turkmen, and most of these residents belong to the Sunni sect, and a percentage of them are Christians and Druze.

Idlib and the beginning of the Syrian crisis

In March 2011, Syrians took to the streets and adopted the slogan of the so-called “Arab Spring”: “The people want the fall of the regime.” Idlib was among the first provinces to revolt against the Damascus government.

On June 29, a number of defected officers from the Damascus government forces announced the first nucleus of an opposition army in Syria in the Jabal al-Zawiya area in Idlib governorate, under the name of the Free Syrian Army, so that the province became the main stronghold and the first for militants opposed to the Damascus government.

These interventions created an environment suitable for the birth of extremist and terrorist groups such as ISIS and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra), which complicated the scene.

What are the mercenary groups in Idlib?

Currently, the mercenaries of the Turkish occupation army control (10.98%) of the area of ​​Syria, which is located within the so-called "De-escalation Zone", which Russia, Turkey and Iran announced the agreement to form in the fourth round - held in May 2017 - of a series of Astana meetings among the three parties that helped the Damascus government regain half of the country's lost land in the battles with the militants.

Based on this series of Astana meetings, Turkey established military headquarters under the name of "Observation Points", and the number of these sites is currently 113 military sites, of which 43 are in Idlib and the rest are distributed in the remainder of the so-called fourth De-escalation Zone, which includes, besides Idlib, parts of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia.

Besides, there are mercenary groups affiliated with Turkey, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and mercenary groups with different names, in addition to the presence of Uyghur and Turkestan groups and jihadist groups, fighting among themselves sometimes and with the Damascus government forces and their loyalists at other times.

The following is a list that includes the main mercenary groups currently in Idlib in a complex scene shrouded in mystery and rivalry:

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham: It was previously called “Jabhat al-Nusra,” the branch of al-Qaeda, before it changed its name to what is called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham under Turkish pressure. Currently, it is the most influential party in Idlib, after it expelled its partners from the mercenary groups loyal to Turkey in July 2017, to gain exclusive control in the province, and it has a political wing, led by Abu Muhammad Golani, and takes what is called the Salvation Government as its front.

ISIS mercenaries: Despite international reports confirming the end of ISIS mercenary control geographically, the killing of former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on October 27, 2019 in Barisha village in Idlib on the border with Turkey, raised questions about the presence of ISIS elements in that region.

The Turkistan Islamic Party: It is a group of old loyalists to Al-Qaeda, and it originated in Xinjiang Province, northwest China, and most of its militants are from the minority Uyghur Muslims who adopt extremist ideology and have a well-established presence in Syria.

The National Liberation Front: It is an alliance between a number of mercenary groups such as the Sham Legion, Idlib Army, Elite Army, and Victory Army. It was founded in May 2018, and has close relations with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Other mercenary groups: There are other mercenary groups in Idlib, including the Ahrar al-Sham movement, whose bases in Idlib were seized by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in July 2017, Noraddin al-Zenki Movement, Jaysh al-Ahrar, and Jaysh al-Izza, in addition to smaller groups.

These groups are under the command of the Turkish occupation forces and participated in the attack on Afrin in January 2018, and Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî in October 2019.

Idlib...a stronghold of mercenaries and militants

After a series of meetings that brought together Russia, Turkey and Iran in Sochi and Astana, Idlib became a point of concentration for mercenary groups, which were transported by green buses from Aleppo, Ghouta of Damascus, and the countryside of Hama and Homs, based on Russian-Turkish agreements under the name of reconciliation, in which Russia gave the green light to Turkey to launch attacks on Afrin and use internationally prohibited weapons against civilians while international community turned a blind eye to that.

Turkey backs terrorists and mercenaries

The borders of the fourth De-escalation Zone were drawn in the sixth round of the Astana track in September 2017, after it had been agreed upon in May of the same year. It includes Idlib governorate, along with parts of the rural areas of Aleppo, Hama, and Latakia, but none of these provisions were implemented by Turkey, which was considered a guarantor of mercenary and terrorist groups.

Moscow accused Ankara of not implementing its commitments, and Damascus government forces later began launching attacks on Turkish mercenaries in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib, where the Damascus government forces, backed by heavy Russian aviation, crossed the borders of the buffer zone established in Sochi at the beginning of 2020.

On February 27, 2020, at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in air strikes Ankara attributed to the Syrian Air Force, and the losses were heavy for the Turkish occupation forces, following weeks of escalation in Idlib between Ankara and Damascus.

Until the first of March, when the Turkish occupation army announced a military operation against the forces of the Damascus government in Idlib, which continued until March 5, for Putin and Erdogan to meet again and stop the war between the two sides.

Damascus government forces have controlled more than half of the area of ​​the fourth De-escalation Zone since its establishment, while the United Nations announced that the number of displaced people from this area has reached more than 830,000 people since the beginning of military operations in the area.

In this context, the head of the Syrian Change and Renaissance Party, Mustafa Qalaji, said in an exclusive interview with our agency, "The De-escalation Zones have not achieved anything so far, and the solution is available to the countries interfering in the Syrian issue."

Jabhat Al-Nusra imposes its authority

Currently, Jabhat al-Nusra (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) controls more than 90% of the area of ​​Idlib governorate, and on May 29, a media report published by Sky News Arabia stated that the so-called Salvation Government of the mercenaries of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra), which It is led by Abu Muhammad Golani, is in the process of opening a military academy in Idlib Governorate, with the aim of graduating military cadres of various specializations and ranks.

The report also included that this military academy project will obviously depend on Turkish trainers and officers in training the mercenaries of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the so-called National Army.

In this context, the writer and political analyst at the Rojava Center for Strategic Studies, Munther Muhammad, pointed out that all the steps that are taking place in Idlib and other areas are related to the international fluctuations that are taking place, as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has established its presence in Idlib for years, and it is one of the most hardline factions in the region.

Turning to the recent statements of HTS leader " Muhammad Golani" to an American newspaper and his claim that he is not hostile to the West, Muhammad said: "The statement was a message that HTS wanted to convey to Western public opinion that it is capable of changing itself, but the international community has a special perspective regarding the Idlib file."

'Turkey's presence in Idlib means the presence of NATO'

The writer and political analyst Munther Muhammad believes that "the West sees Idlib as the stronghold, which constitutes an obstacle to the Syrian regime in achieving its goal. The West does not want Russia and the regime to control Idlib, whatever it is, whether it has turned into a stronghold for al-Qaeda or not, so the West's indifference towards the actions of al-Nusra is in terms of not losing these areas because the Turkish presence in them means the presence of NATO."

What is solution to Idlib and Syria stalemate?

Observers believe that the best solution to end the Syrian crisis in general and the Idlib complex in particular lies in terminating the foreign occupation to the country and closing the door to interventions. Perhaps one of the most successful projects during the Syrian crisis is the democratic nation project implemented by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which is based on coexistence and the brotherhood of peoples is its basis.

Leader Abdullah Ocalan points out in this regard, "War is not the solution. Turkey will be more harmed, and the people who coexist will also be harmed. Peace must come, war is not the solution, and if Turkey enters Syrian territory, this will not be a solution for it."

J.O

ANHA