File image
An internal conflict erupted within the leadership of al-Qaeda-affiliated Horas al-Din over the group’s participation in “Turkish-led” operations around Idlib, Enab Baladi, a pro-opposition news outlet, reported on June 26.
A source close to the terrorist group told the outlet that three of the group’s most prominent leaders, Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, Abu Humam al-Shami and Sami al-Oraydi, had rejected the group’s participation in any battle on the side of the Turkish-backed National Syrian Army (NSA).
Last month, the NSA deployed several units, mainly from Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction, around Idlib to fend off any attack by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). The deployment was reportedly approved by Turkey, the group’s main backer.
“They [the three leaders] consider the battles in Hama and Idlib to be Turkish, they declared anyone who participated in them an infidel,” Enab Baladi quoted the source as saying.
Horas al-Din judicial system responded by summoning Abu Humam al-Shami and Sami al-Oraydi to a Sharia court in order to punish them for rejecting to fight alongside Turkish-backed militants.
Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, Abu Humam al-Shami and Sami al-Oraydi are among the key funders of Horas al-Din. The three terrorists defected from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) when it began to distance itself from al-Qaeda.
This conflict reveals the deep coordination between Turkish-backed militants and al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in northern Syria. It also shows that both sides are determined to develop their cooperation, under the eyes of Turkey.
