Religious Leader al-Zenki Movement: Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham Wanted Political Relations With Iran

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On Wednesday, Hussam Atrash one of the religious leaders of Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement posted a series of tweets in which he accused Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leadership of conspiring to establish relationship with Iran. Atrash also accused HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani of planning to eliminate Ahrar al-Sham Movement.

The Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement is a Sunni Islamist rebel group involved in the Syrian Civil War. Between 2014 and 2015, it was part of the Syrian Revolutionary Command Council and recipient of U.S.-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles. In 2014, it was reportedly one of the most influential factions in Aleppo. 

According to the Amnesty International, the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement, along with the 16th Division, the Levant Front, Ahrar al-Sham, and the al-Nusra Front, were involved in abduction and torture of journalists and humanitarian workers in rebel-held Aleppo during 2014 and 2015.

Nour al-Din al-Zenki, along with the Abu Amara Brigades, has been accused of executing people by throwing them down buildings when they still controlled Aleppo

On 19 July 2016, during the Aleppo offensive, a video emerged that appeared to show al-Zenki fighters recording themselves taunting and later beheading a Palestinian boy named Abdullah Tayseer Al Issa. In the video, they claim he had been captured while fighting with the pro-government militia Liwa al-Quds. Liwa al-Quds denied this, and claimed instead that Al Issa was a 12-year-old Palestinian refugee from a poor family who had been kidnapped.

Atrash said that al-Julani suggested opening relations with Iran twice. al-Julani also criticized the Turkish policies in Syrian according to one of Atrash’s tweets.

“Turks are stupid in politics, while the Iranians understand politics and stand with their allies” al-Julani said in one of HTS meeting according to Atrash.

وقال بالعبارة أن الاتراك جحاش بالسياسة واما ايران فهم يفهمون بالسياسة وييقفون مع حلفائهم وقال نقتصر مع تركياللحد الذي نستطيع به إدخال الجرحى

— حسام ابراهيم أطرش (@hossamalatrash1) September 6, 2017

Moreover, Atrash also claimed that al-Julani openly called to eliminate Ahrar al-Sham Movement in one of HTS leadership meetings. Atrash claimed that al-Golan said he was ready to negotiate with the Syrian minorities – Alawite, Druze and Christens  – if he successfully eliminated Ahrar al-Sham.

إنه الجولاني
قالها في مجلس الشورى :ارجوكم اسمحوا لي بالقضاء على احرار الشام ومستعد للجلوس مع العلويين والمسيحيين والدروز لانشاء ادارة مدنية

— حسام ابراهيم أطرش (@hossamalatrash1) September 6, 2017

Atrash also criticized HTS security measures and said that most of HTS commanders don’t know who are their leaders. Furthermore, Atrash claimed that “Abu Maria al-Khatani” a high ranked commander of HTS told him that all of al-Qaeda commanders in Iraq are agents of foreign intelligence services.

ياجنود تحرير الشام سمعت من فم ابي ماريا القحطاني أنه قال:كل قياداتنا بالعراق الامراء والشرعيون تبين لنا أنهم مخابرات وكان هذا باجتماع

— حسام ابراهيم أطرش (@hossamalatrash1) September 6, 2017

It’s impossible to confirm Atrash claims, however so far HTS didn’t deny any of his accusations. Atrash indeed had contact with HTS leadership when Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement was part of HTS before it defects on July 20.

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