Ankara makes overtures to Idlib militants
The English-language edition of Yeni Safak has reported that Turkey asked the group to dissolve itself and for the militants, who seized Idlib province last month after routing Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham rebels, to relinquish the critical Bab al-Hawa border crossing linking Idlib to Turkey’s Hatay province.
Turkey has asked Syria’s most muscular Sunni Arab opposition militia, the al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), to disband itself, a leading Turkish pro-government daily claimed today.
In its article “Turkey’s plan to save Syria’s Idlib from occupation,” the English-language edition of Yeni Safak reported that Turkey had asked the group to dissolve itself, offering, “its fighters could join the ranks of other opposition [groups] if they elected to do so.” Turkey also wants the militants, who seized virtually full control of Idlib province last month after routing Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham rebels, to relinquish the critical Bab al-Hawa border crossing linking Idlib to Turkey’s Hatay province to “a group approved by Turkey.”
Bab al-Hawa remains the economic and humanitarian lifeline to northwestern Syria. Like other border crossings with Syria that have since been closed, Bab al-Hawa has been a vital source of income for the groups controlling it. But the flow of commercial traffic and weapons has all but halted as Turkey bows to international pressure to exercise stricter control of its borders.
Turkey’s “recommendations” were supposedly accepted by Syrian oppositionists, tribal leaders and assorted local stakeholders during a set of meetings held in central Idlib. Yeni Safak claimed HTS had agreed to all the proposals except that of disbanding itself.
