Turkish military operation in Idlib Governorate
| Turkish military operation in Idlib Governorate | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War | ||||||
| ||||||
| Belligerents | ||||||
 Turkey Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army Pro-intervention Tahrir al-Sham faction[1]Supported by:  Russia[2] |
Anti-intervention Tahrir al-Sham faction[1] |
 Idlib Military Council[6] | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||
|
Abu Maria al-Qahtani[1] |
Abu Mohammad al-Julani[1] Abu Talha al-Ardoni †[1] Hassan Bakur ("Abu Abdul Rahman") †[1] Mustafa Zahri †[1] | Unknown | ||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||||
| Unknown | Several HTS commanders assassinated[1] | Unknown | ||||
The Turkish military operation in Idlib Governorate is the second cross-border operation by the Turkish military and the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army.
Background
The operation was launched following the 2017 Astana agreement between Turkey, Russia and Iran.
Operation
The Turkish intervention in Idlib Governorate led to a rift in Tahrir al-Sham, with one faction of the Islamist alliance supporting Turkey while the other opposed it. The supporters were led Abu Maria al-Qahtani, and consequently began to assassinate commanders of the anti-intervention faction, which is headed by Abu Mohammad al-Julani.[1]
Reactions
Within Syria
Syrian government: An unnamed source at Syria's Foreign Ministry said, "The Turkish regime must abide by what was agreed in Astana."[8][9]
Rojava: “Any military operation led by Turkish forces in Afrin will fail as it would elicit a harsh and unexpected response,” Rezan Gilo, head of the Defense and Self-Protection Body, told Kurdistan 24.[10]
Jaysh al-Thuwar: Ahmed Sultan, commander of Jaysh al-Thuwar, accused Turkey of selling Idlib to the Syrian regime, Iran and Russia and called upon the people of Idlib to resist the planned Turkish, Iranian, and Russian intervention in Idlib.[11]
Tahrir al-Sham: The Tahrir al-Sham leadership stated that anyone supporting the intervention is committing treason.[12] Nevertheless, a faction within the group is aiding the Turkish operation, which has led to factional strife within Tahrir al-Sham.[1]
International reaction
Russia: The head of the Russian delegation for the Astana talks, Alexander Lavrentyev, said that Russia was ready to act as a mediator between the Syrian government and Turkey regarding the situation in Idlib.[13]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Abu-Maria Al-Qahtani… Turkey's compass to Adlib". Hawar News Agency. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
- ^ http://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/russia-hopes-turkey-can-stabilize-situation-in-syrias-idlib-2797082
- ^ http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/131020171
- ^ "Turkey to stop YPG in northern Syria with new plans for Idlib, Afrin – DailySabah". www.dailysabah.com.
- ^ "A brigade of "Qusd" vows to enter Idlib". Enab Baladi. 23 October 2017.
- ^ "Formation (Idleb Military Council) and (Qd) denies its relationship with him". All4Syria. 24 October 2017.
- ^ "First Turkish military convoy enters Syria's Idlib". 12 October 2017 – via Reuters.
- ^ (www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. "Syria demands Turkey immediately withdraw troops – News – DW – 14.10.2017". DW.COM.
- ^ "Syria demands 'immediate' withdrawal of Turkish troops". Hürriyet Daily News.
- ^ http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/8431fdf4-fb17-4677-9f28-338c845059f9
- ^ http://www.hawarnews.com/%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%88-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA-%D8%A5%D8%AF%D9%84%D8%A8-%D8%A3%D9%8A%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7/
- ^ "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham: The attack carried out by the factions on Idlib is a treason – AWDnews". www.awdnews.com.
- ^ https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russia-ready-mediate-talks-damascus-ankara-idlib/
