ALEPPO, Syria — After armed confrontations on the ground for the past two years, the fight between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib and its jihadi opponents has now moved to social media.
Over the past couple of years, HTS tightened its security grip and dismantled several opposing jihadi groups in Idlib, notably the al-Qaeda-affiliated Hurras al-Din (Guardians of Religion Organization), as well as Jund al-Sham and Jundallah. HTS also arrested dozens of members and leaders of these groups, and several other breakaway jihadis who joined opposing groups.