ALEPPO, Syria — Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra) is expelling its opponents from parts of Idlib and western Aleppo to areas controlled by Turkey in north and northeast Aleppo.
HTS tightened its military and administrative grip on wide areas in Idlib governorate, western Aleppo, northern Hama and Sahl al-Ghab in early January, forcing out troops following battles against the National Front for the Liberation of Syria, which is affiliated with the moderate rebel group the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
