Free Syrian Army defends areas of influence against IS, HTS cells
The internal fighting among FSA factions and the ambitions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to expand its control in the northwest of Syria did not prevent the Turkish-backed FSA factions from continuing their security operations to crack down on Islamic State cells in the countryside of Aleppo.
ALEPPO, Syria — The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) continues to crack down on Islamic State (IS) cells in Aleppo countryside in northwestern Syria, where tension and security chaos have flared in the past weeks due to the infighting between several factions and Hayat Tahror al-Sham’s (HTS) incursion into Afrin before quickly withdrawing.
HTS yields great influence in Idlib and does not hide its ambitions to expand at the expense of the FSA in Aleppo countryside.
HTS appears to have its sights set on Afrin.
On June 24, the city of al-Bab in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo saw violent clashes between the FSA-affiliated military police and IS militants, which killed one policeman and injured several others. Two IS members were arrested.
