On August 31st, Turkey designated the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a terrorist organization, according to a presidential decision. This happens as Damascus prepares for a military assault on Idlib, in Northwestern Syria, which is primarily under the group’s control.
Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan’s decision was released in State Gazette, and it is in line with a decision made by the UN in June 2018, which also included Tahrir al-Sham to the list of people and organizations whose assets are to be frozen because of links to militant groups al-Qaeda and ISIS. On May 31st, the US State Department also released a statement of amendments to the “Terrorist Designations of al-Nusra Front.” It said the following:
“The Department of State has amended the designation of al-Nusrah Front – an al-Qa’ida affiliate in Syria – to include Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other aliases. These aliases have been added to al-Nusrah Front’s designations as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order 13224.”
As reported by Rudaw, HTS first appeared in Syria in 2012, as the al-Nusra Front, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia still refer to the group by that name. It is classified as a “terrorist” group by the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations, it arrived in Syria as an extension of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The group’s current leader, a Syrian who uses the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, is a veteran of fighting in Iraq. In 2013, the group became part of al-Qaeda, before declarig a split with the global movement in July 2016 and renaming itself to the Fatah al-Sham Front. In 2017, it once again rebranded into the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, cited by Rudaw, the group numbers about 30,000 fighters. It currently controls almost 60% of the Idlib province.
The Nusra Front was already designated as a terrorist organization in Turkey.
Turkey officially does not support HTS, however in November 2017, the militant group accepted Turkish intervention in Idlib. Ankara has a small military presence in Idlib, and many of its observation posts are within the area which is under HTS control. Turkey has so far disregarded any calls that Idlib is controlled by the terrorists thus desribing Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as the “opposition.”
The Syrian assault on the Idlib province is nigh-unavoidable, due to negotiations between the various parties in Syria have failed to end the conflict so far.
Moscow, Ankara and Tehran have been taking part in talks to attempt to solve the Idlib issue by peaceful means allowing illegal armed formations to disarm and disband. However, so far, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies have showed no interst in negotiations.
Russia said on August 31st that the Syrian government had every right to chase terrorists out of Idlib, adding that talks were underway to set up humanitarian corridors there. Russia has also urged for the moderate Syrian opposition to be separated from militants such as those in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that it would be disastrous to seek a military solution in Idlib, despite the presence of militants there. “It is important for all of us to neutralize these radical groups,” he said. “But we have to distinguish the civilians from the terrorist groups.”
U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said on August 30th that there was a high concentration of foreign fighters in Idlib, including an estimated 10,000 who he said belonged to HTS and al-Qaeda. He also said that there is no need to rush military action and that more time should be provided to Turkey, Russia and Iran to find a solution.
Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan is to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at a three-way summit in Iran on September 7th.
Good, now bomb them or SAA will do it on their own.
“It is important for all of us to neutralize these radical groups,” he said. “But we have to distinguish the civilians from the terrorist groups.”(c) Don’t worry Mevlut, your proxy forces will be eliminated while civilian lives will be preserved as much as possible. Nothing like US led massacre in Mosul and Raqqa. Funny that no one even mentions that SAA/Russia always set humanitarian corridors for civilians where west never bothers about such things. What also to expect from those that say that nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a “humanitarian act”.
west never bothers about such things………..
You must have missed the part, that to them anything moving in syria and generally ME, it is a target for them.
The atomic bombing was not to force Japan to surrender. Japan offered surrender in June 1945 with one condition regarding the status of the Emperor – which the US eventually accepted end of August 1945. The atomic bombing was ‘humanitarian’ product testing.
Pictures of before and after ‘liberation’ of Raqqa by the US and proxies is typical of what to expect. I am sure there are humanitarian corridors in Raqqa, they are just buried under heaps of pulverized rubble, along with thousands of civilians. This of course is regrettable, but collateral damage is to be expected during liberation operations such as carpet bombing.
Compare Dresden and Raqqa photos and notice the similarities. Methods and outcomes have not changed much since the end of WWII.
” Civilians are the primary ‘military’ target.” – agree but may I ask you to define who’s targets? I’m not good with history – can you point me to similar incidents as Drezden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki (mass murdering of civilians) conducted during WWII by Red Army?
You have proven your an idiot by bringing into play the nuclear bombing it had nothing to do with humanitarian acts. It had to do with shortening the war for us not anybody else so pay attention. Revisionist idiot. Same for every simpleton spewing garbage such as that. When a population supports the war they become complicit in warmongering thus the target. This is not checkers.
I will ignore your name calling (I assume that is makes you feel brave and smart behind your keyboard) but I would like to clarify something – do you support that in order to “shorten the war” for one side it is permissible to deliberately kill children, women and elders? Did I understand you properly?
Yes you did idiot don’t give me your holy than thou garbage as the fact it was a war against a Emperor god tyrant run by war lords. False on your fake humanity. They where as complaisant in it the as anyone. Since when was war a game.
Freak. Any intelligent, learned person knows those nukes were a warning to the USSR not to follow through on any fancy plans to seize Japan.
Revisionist garbage as the USSR was in no position to wipe their own ass let alone take over Japan. They would have faced the same problem we did without nukes see how far you would go.
If you say so, it must be true.
Then that left you out. It was to end our war with Japan. Nothing nefarious of simple conspiracy of simple minds.
Ok, you’re right. But what of the several (just as with Hitler to Britain before) attempts at offering to surrender by the Japanese?
Idlib should be carpet bombed all over by NATO, and afterward airplanes should send leaflets down in Idlib asking the citizens if they finally got the message: NATO WANTS PEACE!!
yeah and the usa are the country OF the free and FOR the free……..lol….this is getting pathetic….turkey is gearing up for battle in idlib…and that is exactly what they planned on day 1 of the invasion….
All armed groups except the Syrian army are illegal, and they all should leave Syrian soil,” said Lavrov
So all squatters must leave Syria whether they are US, UK, France, Israel or PKK, ISIS or Al-Qaeda.
…or Turkey.
Turkey army is there in Syria but they will support and defend SAA. They both have same religion, same culture and same mother land. If tomorrow US and UK attack Turkey then you will find all Syrian, Iraqis and Iranians in Turkey to defend it from enemies. Muslims have no boundaries.
Except when it comes to Palestine
If Turkey is attacked by (basically) NATO, Syria, Iraq and Iran will help them? I wouldn’t bet on it. AFAIK, here is no mutual defense pact with Turkey and those countries. If fact, Turkey has been at odds with them for some time until recently and none of them trust Turkey and their duplicitous ways. If fact, Erdo had to have his arm twisted to make this declaration, as he has continuously fought against attacking them.
Recently the world politics has changed. Many allies are not allies anymore of US and UK for example, Turkey, Pakistan, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria etc. They don’t trust US and Europeans anymore.
Thieves, liars and terrorist supporters are not to ever be trusted. Especially those that would backstab a friend, as Putin put it. Erdo is only helping because he crapped in his nest. If Turkey’s policy has changed, why has it taken till now for him to finally dump HTS?
Then we will force them to trust us………………………………….LOL.
In 1967 without call Pakistani pilots arrived to Syria, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq and have used their fighter jets and shutdown 10 Israeli fighter jets without losing any pilot or plane. Pakistani pilots are still ready to goto any Muslim country for defence purpose. At that time Pakistan was not salve of US and Europe. Now again Pakistan is free and can do same things as they have done in 1967.
That’s very interesting. Hopefully, now that there is Khan in power, Pakistan will do the same again…but what has that to do with Turkey?
Shut up Benjanyahu.
Ooowwee. Mommy he called me a bad name. Waaa.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KUgYDzq9g5E Turkish TF-X Fighter Jet to make its first flight by 2023
US recommend Turkey not to develop its own Jet as it will not fit in with NATO coordinated Pentagon systems. If Turkey continue it must face the consequences…………………….LOL.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XCxajmoD_po/V3ysfWMgmVI/AAAAAAAAGho/uWWgZz0hkwAt1AAJEs4At72AMaJtktkzgCLcB/s1600/1042422414.jpg
Turkish President Erdogan and Syrian President Dr. Bashar Al-Assad both are united. Don’t follow MSM.
Several meetings have been held together of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Syria, Iran and Russia on the US, UK, France and on their stooges that have infiltrated in the Middle East and have created chaos and instability there.
Yes, Erdo is such a friend that it is just now that he calls HTS a terrorist org. Up to now, he has been suppling them, protecting them, using them and lying for them. As for Turkey being a friend, a friend does not call for a friend to be killed or eliminated or to invade his country. In fact, they still say after the war Assad should go. Erdo is being used, just like he uses HTS, the US and NATO. His stupidity has put him (and Turkey) in harms way. Too bad he didn’t know what the ramifications would be of shooting down 1 Russian plane.
Before Turkey was a slave like Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan of US and NATO. What US and UK order was Turkey had complied that but now Turkey is free and can decide what is right and what is wrong. That is why Turkey now building up their own defence industry and US and UK are angry and impose sanctions on Turkey.
Oh, yes, they were forced to steal oil and factories from Syria. They were forced to allow terrorists to transit Turkey to enter Syria, they were forced to arm and help train terrorists. How did the chlorine tankers arrive in Syria? Are you for real? How have you missed all this?
The chlorine complete plants US and UK have supplied to their stooges in Idlib. They have given technology that how to produce IEDs and other military hardware.
Hopefully, the Russians will divulge all they know about the chlorine supplied to terrorists, then we will know the truth. Then we will see how Turkey looks. In fact, this may be how Putin twisted their arm to get them to finally turn on their pets. Time will tell.
Rob is paid to spread lies.
6 Months ago, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkey-welcomes-us-led-joint-airstrikes-in-syria-/1117812
Majority news agencies run by Israel in every country including Turkey, Pakistan, Russia and China.
Erdo controls all media in Turkey.
Shut up benjanyahu.
Mommy, he did it again! Waa Waa.
Yes, this is the duplicity of the Turkish regime. That’s why I say that Russia will keep an eye on Turkey in any conflict. I’m sure that Putin will have a group that keeps a bead on Turkish forces…just in case. Once a backstabber, always a backstabber. Erdo should be very careful straddling that fence…if he should slip he might just fall on a fencepost.
We know that Erdo’s son and his entourage were searched by Customs in Italy after his plane landed with suitcases full of cash from the sales of stolen Syrian oil provided by ISIS in 2016 and before that. The Turks were then all issued with diplomatic passports :)
The cash would have likely been in Dollars or Euros and deposited in EU banks. This is what Erdo fears losing if he is sanctioned and will be hundreds of millions of USD, even billions.
http://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2016/02/16/erdogans-son-investigated-in-italy_c161380f-8bfc-4859-96c9-9efd761a5d75.html
Erdo is in a pickle. His money or his life :)
Just the usual zio way. First promises and suitcases of dollares to do the dirty work, then a knife in the back and return of same dollares plus the profit.
This photo is from 1974. A lot of water ran in the river since then.
Yes now turkey need all the money she can lay her hands on and I am sure 90% of the accounts this organization has are in turkish banks. How convenient.
Good point :)
Terrible news for the Al-nusra boys.
So, again, we’ll have a whole bunch of head-choppers shaving off their beards and becoming civilian.
So these are real news, why Turkey deploys frigates in Mediterranean. Oh thanks for clearing the things up.