Syrian jihadi group escalates campaign against foreign fighters in Idlib

While some believe that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is tightening the noose around foreign fighters in Idlib with the ultimate goal to expel them, others consider that it serves the interest of civilians in the city of Idlib.
Syrian rebel fighters prepare in anticipation of an attack by the Bashar al-Assad regime on Idlib province and the surrounding countryside, in Kafr Zeta, Syria, Aug. 30, 2018.
Syrian rebel fighters prepare in anticipation of an attack by the Bashar al-Assad regime on Idlib province and the surrounding countryside, in Kafr Zeta, Syria, Aug. 30, 2018. - Zein al-Rifai/AFP via Getty Images
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Sultan al-Kanj
@AlkanjSultan

IDLIB, Syria — Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) security apparatus has recently warned the families of foreign fighters that they need to vacate their places of residence and businesses in the city of Idlib in northwest Syria.

Local sources told Al-Monitor that HTS gave the foreign fighters’ families no more than several days to leave Idlib. The security apparatus summoned a number of those families for interrogation to find out more about their relatives who came to Syria to fight against the government forces. 

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