Hayat Tahrir al-Sham woos Erdogan

Ayah Ezz

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as Al-Nusra Front, has intensified security patrols near the Syrian border with Turkey in a bid to please its sponsor, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The group has also withdrawn its security checkpoints and military training centers from the southern sector in Idlib to be replaced by the Turkish army.

The Syrian News Agency said that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham had reinforced its security checkpoints at Azzawiya crossing near Aleppo.

Syrian political activist Rayan Maarouf said that there are many leaders of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham who want to please Erdogan at any price.

“Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has tightened its security grip on the Turkish-Syrian border, and is combating smuggling to woo the Turkish government. It has reinforced the security checkpoints at the Turkish border with Syria to stop human trafficking,” Maarouf told THE REFERENCE.

Maarouf added that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham wants to ensure its presence and get protection from Turkey.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on March 14 that large numbers of Turkish forces crossed through the Syrian-Turkish border with security reinforcements, armored vehicles and arms. It added that most of the military equipment, including anti-aircraft, armored vehicles and artillery, was handed over to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Political analyst Mokhtar Ghobashy said that what is taking place at the Syrian-Turkish border totally contradicts statements made by Erdogan, who had said he is ready for a ceasefire and he has no links to any terrorist groups in Syria.

“Erdogan would not be able to carry out the Sochi agreement, which was signed between Russia and Turkey,” Ghobashy told THE REFERENCE, citing that Erdogan’s ambitions in Syria are greater than any paper agreements.

Ghobashy pointed out that Turkey would take advantage of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s weakness and its attempts to win its support.

Turkey would make Hayat Tahrir al-Sham carry out terrorist operations in Syria serving Turkish interests.