(Zaman Al Wasl)- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters stormed offices of the opposition’s interim government in the northern Idlib province, local reporter said on Tuesday.
Mohamed Firas al-Jundi, the Health Minister in the National Coalition’s government, said the former al-Qaeda affiliate seized control of his office and the Education Ministry office in the town of Ma’rret al-Nu’man. Two officials were also arrested, he added.
The Salvation Government, an alternative body of the National Coalition's interim government, warned last week of shutting the offices of the interim government in Idlib province due to mounting discords.
Idlib has been a haven for tens of thousands of rebels and civilians who were forced to abandon their homes in other parts of western Syria that the government and its foreign military allies have recaptured from rebels.
It has already been the target of intensive strikes by the Russia and Syrian air forces in the past year that have killed thousands of civilians and destroyed hospitals and civil defense centers.
In relevant development, the Salvation Government has banned Russian and Iranian goods entry to opposition-held areas in northern Syria, head of the government said on Tuesday.
The decision came in response to a statement by customs administration of Bab al-Hawa border crossing allowing Russian goods entry to Idlib province due to the need of Syrian merchants as the customs claimed.
Mohammed Al-Sheikh, head of the domestic Government, said Russia and Iran are partners (with Bashar Assad) in shedding the blood of Syrian people, they are occupiers. So its goods will never be allowed to enter Idlib province, he added.
Local activists who condemned Bab al-Hawa’s statement, said the Russian goods must be boycotted not to be be welcomed in northern Syria.
The key ally of Bashar al-Assad and the de-facto ruler of Syria has inflicted heavy defeats on the rebel groups as well it has been killing thousands of Syrian since September 2015.
The Idlib-held Salvation Government was formed by the General Syrian Conference two months ago with 11 ministers for Interior, Justice, Endowment, Higher Education, Education, Health, Agriculture, Economy, Social Affairs and Displaced, Housing and Reconstruction and Local Administration and Services.
The regime army had lost the strategically located Idlib province to insurgents when the provincial capital fell to rebels in 2015. It has since become the only province that is fully under opposition control.
Zaman A Wasl
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