Recent fractures are emerging within factions loyal to the Turkish occupation. The Suqour al-Sham brigades, operating under the National Liberation Front of the so-called National Army, have announced its defection from the front. Sources indicate that the faction is preparing to join the ranks of the so-called Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the current front of the terrorist organization Jabhat al-Nusra.
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According to opposition-supporting media websites, the commander-in-chief of Suqour al-Sham, Abu Issa al-Sheikh, stated on Friday night that the numerous abuses within the National Liberation Front, coupled with tyranny in decision-making, monopolization, ignoring components, rejecting opinions, lack of consultation, and refusal to accept advice, led Suqour al-Sham to separate from the National Front and operate as an independent faction. They commit to their revolutionary and jihadist duties.
In this context, armed groups that previously operated for Suqour al-Sham announced the formation of the 40th Division within the National Liberation Front. However, sources close to Suqour al-Sham suggest that the faction is preparing to merge into the components of HTS in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the so-called “civil police” of the Turkish occupation forces reportedly arrested three teachers in the school of Bulbul district in the countryside of the occupied city of Afrin. The arrests coincided with the infiltration of Turkish forces into the city center, allegedly due to the removal of the Turkish flag from a classroom. The teachers were transferred to a prison in the area, with their fate unknown, according to opposition media sources.
In separate incidents, a 30-year-old man from the village of Dika in the Bulbul district was arrested by the “military police” of the Turkish occupation during a raid on his home in the Ashrafieh neighbourhood of Afrin city, reasons undisclosed. Another person was arrested on Rajo Road in Afrin city. Additionally, in the village of Darkir in the Maabatli district of the Afrin countryside, an individual was beaten and tortured by gunmen from the so-called Hamzat faction after a robbery and the seizure of his car. This occurs amid widespread popular discontent in areas where Turkish occupation forces and their loyal factions are deployed.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
