“Turkey has long supported the al-Qaeda-affiliated so-called “moderate opposition” in Idlib, which mostly comprises Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de facto ruler of the Syrian region.”
“Rebranding a number Syrian factions as the Syrian National Army (SNA), critics say Turkey has incorporated extreme jihadist groups into the SNA.”
“Turkey had supported the rebranding of HTS, a group known to have incorporated fighters from the Nusra Front, which had pledged allegiance to al Qaeda.”
““HTS, is a Turkish intelligence (MiT) asset and steadily being proxified by the MiT,” Nicholas Heras, Senior Analyst and Program Head for Authoritarianism at the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy, tweeted in April.”
““HTS is literally the only local Syrian actor that can control Idlib at a low cost for Turkey. Turkey and this Syrian al-Qaeda-linked group have a symbiotic relationship, and HTS is an asset to Ankara,” Heras told Ahval.”
“It is also interesting to see that the al-Qaeda terrorist Manar Al-Shami also received citizenship from another Turkish ally – Ukraine.”
“In late May 2021, The British MI6 intelligence agency’s representative Jonathan Powell suggested that leader of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) Abu Mohammad al-Julani should build close cooperation with the West, TASS reported.“
“According to him, Western intelligence agencies are seeking to directly establish contact with international terrorist groups active in Syria. The meeting between Powell and al-Julani took place in the Idlib de-escalation zone near the Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing on the Syrian-Turkish border, the source said. According to him, the meeting was focused on the possibility of removing Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham from the list of terrorist organizations. In addition, an agreement was reached on maintaining a permanent communication link with international terrorists designated as such by the United Nations Security Council.”
“As such, it is no surprise that Turkey, a founding member of NATO, is taking part in rebranding terrorists, granting them citizenship and using them as “mercenaries.””
Read more: NEW-AGE COSMOPOLITE: FORMER AL-QAEDA COMMANDER GRANTED WITH TURKISH CITIZENSHIP AFTER UKRAINIAN ONE
2021-week26
