HTS explores rapprochement with Turkey-backed factions in north Syria

Regular meetings between the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army factions and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leaders in northwestern Syria will open a new page in relations between the two parties and might pave the way for military integration in the future.
Members of the Free Syrian Army wave the flag of the Syrian opposition as they travel in a truck through the town of Hazano, in Idlib's northern countryside, as reinforcements are deployed from Aleppo's northern countryside to Idlib's countryside to counter an ongoing pro-regime offensive, Syria, Feb. 5, 2020.
Members of the Free Syrian Army wave the flag of the Syrian opposition as they travel in a truck through the town of Hazano, in Idlib's northern countryside, as reinforcements are deployed from Aleppo's northern countryside to Idlib's countryside to counter an ongoing pro-regime offensive, Syria, Feb. 5, 2020. - Ahmad al-Atrash/AFP via Getty Images
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Khaled al-Khateb
@khaleedalkhteb
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ALEPPO, Syria — After gaining full control in the Idlib province in northwest Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is now reportedly seeking rapprochement with several Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions in Aleppo countryside. 

It seems that HTS is seriously trying to coordinate with the factions on security and military issues as a prelude to bigger steps that may reach full integration with the FSA factions. This would constitute the bedrock for a single civil and military administration that would govern the areas outside the control of the Syrian government in northwestern Syria.

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