Jihadist group in Idlib vows to keep foreign fighters in Syria

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani says "these foreign fighters are now part of us."
Members of Syria's top jihadist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate, parade with their flags and those of the Taliban's declared "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" through the rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib, Syria, Aug. 20, 2021.
Members of Syria's top jihadist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate, parade with their flags and those of the Taliban's declared "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" through the rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib, Syria, Aug. 20, 2021. - Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty Images
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Mohammed Hardan
@_MohammedHardan

It seems the previous security campaigns to track down foreign fighters carried out by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in its areas of control in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib were merely a political show.

Recent statements by HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani show that the group may not be ready to give up on these operatives.

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