Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) issued a statement commenting on its participation in the fighting in the Olive Branch Afrin area, under the title “A message to our people and people in the liberated areas.”.
HTS said that it had followed with great interest the internal fighting that had taken place as a result of the wrong decisions made by the Leadership of the Levant Front, together with the “Army of Islam” faction against their brothers and partners yesterday, by engaging young people in internal fighting and damaging peace and security in the liberated areas.
In its statement, HTS focused on meetings between HTS and the leaders of the northern Aleppo countryside, in which HTS urged them to prioritize the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch areas in the military, security, and civilian fields. “The prevailing circumstances in the region warn of rampant destruction,” the statement said.
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The statement noted that the region’s people suffer due to widespread corruption throughout society, as manifested in drugs, theft, and so on. They have also endured less regular access to basic services; in this respect, service provision has worsened due to factional rivalries and the absence of a clear authority governing those liberated areas.
The statement noted that through the sessions between HTS and the leaders of the northern Aleppo countryside, “it is necessary to diagnose the problem, yet we are also witnessing a real will to change and improve the reality on the ground.”
“It is our duty and responsibility to carefully protect the people and prevent the region from being dragged into absurd infighting. We have pushed hard to stop the fighting by pressuring the relevant parties to understand each other and direct their minds away from using the language of weapons.”
HTS would not allow reckless and impulsive actors to manipulate the region’s fate and the security of the liberated areas. Indeed, these recent events serve as the strongest evidence for this point.
HTS responded to the Syrian Islamic Council’s statement by saying that it “recommends observing the piety of God and reminds the council that their powerful platform should be a platform for reform, not one of sedition.
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.
