Firas Samuri:

What is going on in Idlib hornet’s nest?‎

Rasa – In an exclusive report for Rasa News Agency, Firas Samuri, a freelance journalist, ‎discusses the crimes of HTS and other terrorist groups against humanity in the Syrian city of ‎Idlib. ‎

News ID: 440751

Date: 29 September 2018 - 21:13

RNA – The creation of demilitarisation zone in northern Syria was announced last week. The ‎joint decision of Moscow and Ankara was supported among a number of pro-Turkish ‎groups. However, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Huras al-Din, and the Turkistan Islamic Party ‎armed groups have rejected the Idlib agreement. ‎

It’s obvious, that the agreement between Russia and Turkey is a temporary project aimed at ‎stopping the bloodshed and restoring sovereignty. Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Faysal ‎Miqdad in an interview with al-Watan newspaper reaffirmed the Syria government’s resolve ‎to recapture Idlib from terrorists by any means necessary.‎

While the parties that have agreed are trying to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, the ‎terrorists seek to seize the ‘last opportunity’ to earn some money. Their fate has already ‎been determined, and they would need serious resources to take shelter in Turkey. ‎Therefore, slavery, drug smuggling as well as trafficking of artefacts is still flourishing in the ‎province.‎

First of all, the drug smuggling brings considerable profit to the various terrorist groups. ‎Initially, the drugs are smuggled from Lebanon, and then they are packaged in Idlib and sent ‎to Turkey via Afrin. There the psychotropic substances are transported by sea to Europe.‎

The same method is used by HTS for the illegal sale of human organs to the European ‎continent. The locals who refuse to join the ranks of the terrorists are being kidnapped and ‎smuggled to the Turkish towns of Antioch and Kilis. The illegal surgery on the transplantation ‎of donor organs under the auspices of the Turkish officials is being carried out there. ‎

Besides, the radicals trade artefacts, which are still in high demand among collectors around ‎the world. During the Syrian war, they plundered hundreds of historical and cultural sights and ‎turned the ancient town of Sarmada, located not far from Turkey into a black market.‎

Within the frameworks of creation the demilitarisation zone and to suppress the financing of ‎militants in Idlib province, the Syrian Arab Army initiated a large-scale liberation operation. ‎The government forces started patrolling the nearby areas in the southeast of the province ‎for further creation of humanitarian corridors.‎

These measures have already yielded positive results. The terrorists’ network of underground ‎tunnels used for bypassing observation posts was discovered by the Syrian servicemen not ‎far from the Abu Duhur crossing. Moreover, last week the elite Tiger Forces took captive a ‎terrorist named Abu Yahya, who tried to commit a terrorist attack at the border crossing ‎when the locals were leaving the demilitarisation zone. ‎

After being interrogated, the captive said that he had been fought in the ranks of HTS in a ‎unit of 300 fighters. “I was trained in a camp near Saraqib along with my brothers for ‎committing single terrorist attacks. I was quite impressed to see the White Helmets activists ‎being trained there too,” Abu Yahya added.‎

The captive also reported that the U.S., Britain, and Turkish military instructors separated ‎terrorists for the groups and taught them various disciplines as explosives engineering, ‎artillery bombardment, urban battles, and preparation of suicide bombers. Most likely the ‎White Helmets were trained the proper handling of chemicals for the upcoming chemical ‎weapons provocation. ‎

The HTS field commanders make every effort for setting up a position defense. By ‎oppressing the locals and smuggling, the terrorists earn a big sum of money and recruit new ‎fighters under the black banners. The longer Idlib matter is being resolved; the more difficult ‎is the restoration of control over the region for the Syrian army.  ‎

It’s quite difficult to assume, how the situation will be developed in Idlib as Russia and ‎Turkey have entirely different interests in Syria. However, the results of their efforts should ‎turn into the elimination of Idlib hornet’s nest.

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