Clashes erupted on Monday evening between a former al-Qaeda branch and the Ahrar al-Sham Movement in northern Idleb province, local activists told Zaman al-Wasl.
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham has prevented the key unit in the National Liberation Front from setting up a checkpoint in the village of Jedraya, in the western countryside of Idleb. Such a decision caused a firefight between the two Islamist groups.
Casualties have been reported on both sides as well as among civilians.
Rebel groups have accused Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham of acts of looting including from public properties.
Activists say Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham has dismantled the railway lines in Idleb.
The group, which was formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, is the dominant force in Idleb and has killed most of its opponents including citizen journalists and human rights advocates.
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and other hardline groups have refused to withdraw their fighters from Idleb despite the de-militarized zone, which was announced by rebel backer Ankara and regime supporter Moscow in September, and was designed to separate regime troops from rebel fighters in Idleb and adjacent areas.
Since the Syrian revolution erupted in 2011, more than 470,000 people have been killed, and more than 6 million people have been displaced.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
