Turkey Plans to Force Europe Make Concessions Using Terrorists in Idlib

TEHRAN (defapress)- Ankara plans to transfer senior Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) terrorist group commanders to Turkey to use their repatriation to the European and regional states as a leverage to receive concessions from them in future, Syrian media said.

News ID: 72439

Date: 16 September 2018 - 17:10

The Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper quoted sources close to Tahrir al-Sham as saying on Sunday that Turkey has set up a 'resort prison' at bordering areas in Hatay and Antakiyeh provinces and has transferred a number of low-ranking Tahrir al-Sham commanders who want to leave 'Jihad' and survive to these places after the recent meeting between the Iranian, Russian and Turkish leaders in Tehran.

The report said high-ranking Tahrir al-Sham commanders and Horas al-Din and Turkistani terrorists will most likely not allow Turkey to complete its plan as Ankara has been encouraging some notorious terrorists of Tahrir al-Sham to retreat to the said border areas in a bid to show that Tahrir al-Sham is no more present in Idlib.

The sources said that Ankara wants to use the low-ranking terrorist commanders who are in the country's resort prisons in other areas of clashes as a leverage to pressure the western and regional states.

Earlier reports this month had revealed Turkey's demand from Damascus, via Russian channels, again to further delay the army's military operations in Idlib.

The Arabic-language website of Sputnik quoted informed Syrian sources as saying that Ankara has asked the Syrian army's command center, with Moscow's mediation, to provide the country with more time to separate those who it calls as "moderate dissidents" from Tahrir al-Sham and the ISIL terrorists.

Based on the report, the Turkish side has admitted dispatch of military equipment to several regions of Idlib province in the past few days, saying that if Tahrir al-Sham rejects leaving the regions occupied by the "moderate dissidents", it will use military power against them. Turkey has not mentioned where the terrorists could retreat to after leaving Idlib.

The sources said that if Syria and Russia agree with Turkey's demand, it will be the last deadline given to Ankara to act upon its undertakings based on the Astana conference.

Earlier reports said that Damascus has extended its deadline for two days upon Turkey's demand to delay military operations in Idlib province.

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