Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls Syria’s Greater Idlib, have turned an ambulance donated by a Danish organization into a military command and control vehicle.
The ambulance, which was donated by the Danish Islamic Council, first appeared in a video released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SNAA) on December 31. The video shows weapons and equipment, which were captured by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) during the recent large-scale military operation in southeast Idlib.
Later, pro-government sources shared photos of the vehicle interior. All medical equipment were removed by HTS and replaced with two workstations fitted with several communication systems.
A video released by the Danish Islamic Council on July 2 of 2013 confirms that the ambulance was donated to Syrian opposition factions back then.
These videos and photos prove that HTS turned the ex-ambulance into a command and control vehicle for its troops, keeping its outer appearance in an attempt to protect it from Russian and Syrian warplanes.
HTS’ systematic abuse of humanitarian aid in Greater Idlib and its use of civilians there as human shields are often ignored by main stream media.
