Syrian armed groups clash outside Aleppo
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham entered the areas under the control of Turkish-backed factions in the countryside of Aleppo.
Violent clashes erupted between the so-called 32nd Division affiliated with Ahrar al-Sham and the Third Legion, which is a merger of Turkish-backed factions, including the Levant Front and Jaish al-Islam, in the villages of Abla and Tal Battal on the outskirts of the city of al-Bab in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.
The two groups are affiliated with the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA).
The clashes came amid heightened tensions between the two parties after the 32nd Division-Eastern Sector defected from the Third Legion in early April.
Ahrar al-Sham’s 32nd Division-Eastern Sector, which is present in al-Bab under the control of Turkish-backed factions, is considered an ally of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls Idlib. Some SNA factions even accuse leaders of the 32nd Division-Eastern Sector of following the orders of HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani, as they believe that HTS has been working since last year to enter their areas of control in north Syria known as the Olive Branch area (in reference to Turkey’s 2018 military operation).
