(Zaman Al Wasl)- Hussam al-Atrash, a senior leader in Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, published a series of tweets saying that Sunnis in Idlib and its environs should hand over the area to the Interim Government to administrate since it had international legitimacy in a bid to avoid genocide and the complete destruction of the province.
Hussam al-Atrash’s tweets announce a position quite different from Tahrir al-Sham’s position. He tweeted, “How is it possible to rescue what remains of the Sunnis in Idlib and the areas around it, and help avoid a tragedy like Grozny that does not keep [anyone alive] or leave [anyone]?!” In the tweet, al-Atrash referred to the barbaric invasion and massacres perpetrated by the Russian army in Chechnya and its capital.
He continued responding to his own question, “I think the solution is for the Interim Government to govern the liberated areas, and to declare a Ministry of Defense and to dissolve the military factions, and incorporate them in the Ministry of Defense.”
He added, “There is no doubt that the Interim Government has international legitimacy, and it can act as cover for the liberated areas. It is impossible to classify it after it has been [internationally] recognized. It is the only tactical way to save the place from the specter of classification and war to regain initiative and end the abhorrent situation among the factions and officially address countries.” In the tweet, al-Atrash referred to the classification of factions fighting in Syria as terrorist organizations which is used as justification for International Coalition air strikes against these factions.
Following al-Atrash’s tweets, Tahrir al-Sham issued a written statement confirming that al-Atrash’s statements are his personal opinion and do not commit the Hay’at to anything.
Tahrir al-Sham’s statement said, “While recognizing the personal freedom to express ideas within the framework of the Sharia and controls agreed upon within the entity to which we belong, we confirm that what our brother (Hussam al-Atrash) issued tweets regarding the futility of military action, and that the solution is for the Interim Government to govern the liberated areas, and that these are brother Hussam’s personal opinion and what he sees as a solution for the reality. "
Tahrir al-Sham stressed that al-Atrash does not represent the Hay’at nor its position which are taken by its Shura Council and Sharia Council, and “so it is his personal opinion that the Hay’at neither decided upon nor adopted.”
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