Hayat Tahrir al-Sham loses third leader in Syria this year
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a coalition of Islamist groups fighting against regime forces in Idlib, Syria, is facing dissent within its ranks and accusations of corruption by one of its own leaders.
ALEPPO, Syria — A prominent commander of Islamist coalition Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria was arrested Sept. 12 after he posted a video on YouTube criticizing other HTS leaders and alleging corruption.
In his video, titled “To Prevent the Ship From Sinking," Abu al-Abd Ashidaa raised allegations of financial and administrative corruption within the group's leadership. Some observers described Ashidaa’s criticisms as a coup against HTS. The video went viral among jihadi organizations in the northwestern Syria province of Idlib, where HTS is fighting regime forces.
“HTS was designed to create a strong Islamic entity that defends Islam and Muslims through the internal decisions it makes. The three-year HTS experience has been a failure,” Ashidaa said in the video.
He said HTS leadership has been unable to defend Idlib despite the sacrifices of its soldiers. He argued that the recent battles in the northern province of Hama, and at Khan Sheikhoun in southern Idlib — which the Syrian regime took control of recently — are examples of this failure to manage battles and defend opposition areas.
