Nusra Front says withdraws from frontline against IS militants

BEIRUT: The al- Qaeda- linked Nusra Front has withdrawn from frontline positions against Islamic State ( IS) north of Aleppo and ceded them to other rebels, leaving an area of northern Syria where Turkey wants to establish a buffer zone.

A Nusra Front statement dated Sunday criticised a Turkish-US plan to drive Islamic State from the Syrian-Turkish border area, saying the aim was to serve ‘ Turkey’s national security’ rather than the fight against Syrian President Bashar alAssad.

The Nusra Front, an enemy of IS, said participation in the campaign was forbidden.

US and Turkey last month announced their intention to drive IS fighters from a strip of territory in northern Syria near the Turkish border, providing air cover for Syrian rebels in the area.

Nusra said the Turkish government and the US-led alliance against Islamic State were seeking to direct the battle according to their interests and priorities, and said Syrian groups taking part were not doing so of their free will.

“Facing this current scene, our only option was to withdraw and leave our frontline positions in the northern Aleppo countryside for any fighting faction in these areas to take over,” the Nusra Front said.

It added that the Nusra Front would maintain frontlines with Islamic State in other areas including Hama province and the Qalamoun mountain range near the border with Lebanon.

Last month, the Nusra Front said it had detained US- trained rebels in northern Syria and warned others to abandon a programme to train and equip an insurgent force to fight Islamic State. — AFP