Militant group cements its control over large parts of Syria’s Idlib
Syrian militants have strengthened their hold on large parts of the north-western province of Idlib after their rival retreated from a major border crossing with Turkey.
On Sunday, Ahrar Al Sham moved a large convoy of heavy equipment and tanks, and hundreds of its fighters, away from the Bab Al Hawa crossing.
They moved to areas the group controls farther south in Idlib province and in the neighbouring province of Hama.
At the same time, a car bomb exploded in Idlib, killing 11 people, nine of them militants, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
“Ahrar Al Sham withdrew from the city of Idlib which is now under the control of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
“Hundreds of rebels left the city aboard dozens of vehicles heading towards southern Idlib province.”
The pullout was stipulated under terms of a ceasefire deal reached on Friday after three days of heavy fighting that had pitted Ahrar, a powerful rebel group with a foothold across Syria, against Hayat Tahrir, an alliance led by Al Qaeda’s former Syria branch.
Hayat Tahrir had surrounded their adversaries near the crossing after rapid advances along the border, pushing their rivals from the province’s main towns and villages.
Members of Hayat Tahrir said their control of the area was aimed at stopping Turkish troops or rival rebel groups from entering Idlib.
The fighting between the two groups, which left scores of dead and injured, was by far the heaviest inter-rebel fighting since the start of the war.
Emboldened by their success at Bab Al Hawa, Hayat Tahrir also dislodged Ahrar fighters on Sunday from another border crossing, Kherbet Al Jouz, which is a route for humanitarian relief.
The sweep across Idlib has raised concerns that closing key crossing points on the border could choke the flow of aid and essential goods.
Hayat Tahrir was formed early this year after a merger of militant groups including between Jabhat Fatah Al Sham, which was known as Jabhat Al Nusra before it claimed to have split from Al Qaeda.
More than two million people live in Idlib, which has become a refuge for many of the displaced, including rebel fighters and their families who left areas seized by the Syrian army.
In recent days, hundreds of residents in several towns, including Saraqeb and Atareb, have taken to the streets to protest against the militants.
Other local councils have evicted the fighters from their towns.
Many locals fear the militants’ hold on Idlib will make the area a target of renewed attacks by Russian forces and the Syrian army.
Relentless bombing of the province in the past year caused heavy damage and hundreds of civilian casualties.
Seeking to defuse local suspicion, Hayat Tahrir on Sunday denied that it planned to monopolise power and urged rival rebels and local leaders to unite with it in defence of the “revolution” against president Bashar Al Assad.
Mr Al Assad’s opponents have long been bitterly divided by regional rivalries, over their ties to foreign states, and whether to pursue Syrian national or Sunni militant goals.
Tensions have been building between Idlib province’s two biggest insurgent factions as they vied for dominance in the only Syrian province that is entirely under rebel control.
Ahrar’s pullout from Bab Al Hawa, which it controlled for more than three years and which was a major source of revenue, is a big blow for the group.
Hayat Tahrir’s new presence there is also likely to alarm Turkey, which had backed Ahrar’s control of the crossing.
Ahrar has been hit by the defection of hundreds of its fighters to its rival.
Several other units have handed over ammunition and weapons depots to the militants and decided to disband.
Hayat Tahrir and Ahrar – which is supported by Turkey and some Gulf countries – were once allies and fought alongside each other to capture most of Idlib province from the Syrian government in 2015.
But analysts say growing tensions over the past two months have been exacerbated by Hayat Tahrir’s fears of a plan to expel the internationally designated “terror” group from the province.
Many locals fear Hayat Tahrir Al Sham’s control in the province will lead to more attacks by Syrian and Russian forces