Terrorist Groups Form New Coalition in Northwestern Syria with Turkey's Supports

A sum of eleven Ankara-backed terrorist groups have formed a new coalition named the National Liberation Front in Idlib province, the militant groups declared in a statement on Tuesday.

News ID: 70426

Date: 29 May 2018 - 16:20

TEHRAN (Defapress)-The statement said that the terrorist groups of Faylaq al-Sham, Idlib Free Army, al-Oula al-Saheliyeh, al-Thaniyeh al-Saheliyeh, al-Oula Masha'a, al-Jeish al-Thani, Jeish al-Nukhbah, Jeish al-Nasr, Darayya al-Islam Shohada Liwa, Liwa al-Horiyeh and 23th Group have formed a new coalition in Idlib province.

The statement added that Faylaq al-Sham Chief Commander has been appointed as the commander of the new coalition and Sahib Liyoush, another terrorist commander, has been appointed as the coalition's deputy commander.

In the meantime, militant-affiliated sources reported that the new coalition is directly supported by Turkey, adding that the Turkish army intended to create a new structure of the militants in Idlib similar to the Euphrates Shield in Northern Aleppo.

Field sources said that creation of a new militant coalition came among a fresh round of tensions and assassination operations in Northwestern Syria.

Field sources reported on Saturday that Ankara was trying hard to force Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) to dissolve the terrorist group, , adding that some sources believed that Turkey was behind the assassination operations against Tahrir in Idlib province.

The sources said that four members of Tahrir al-Sham were killed and several more were wounded in a suicide attack on Tahrir's base in the town of al-Dana.

Also, four more Tahrir members were killed by unknown raiders' gun fire at their vehicle on Idlib-Ma'arat Mesrin road.

In the meantime, a number of Tahrir terrorists were killed in a booby-trap bomb attack on a road in Darkoush region in Western Idlib.

A bomb, planted on a motorcycle, went off on a road connecting al-Dana to al-Tawameh region, killing two Tahrir militants.

A military analyst said Turkey was behind fresh assassination operations against Tahrir in Idlib to undermine and dissolve the terrorist group.

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