(Zaman Al Wasl)- Four rebel factions in Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement have joined Faylaq al-Rahman in the western countryside of Aleppo Tuesday, following victories by al-Qaeda-linked militants against Turkey-backed fighters that made new a de-facto map in northern Syria.
The rebel groups refused to leave to Afrin region after a humiliating surrender to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that pushed al-Zenki group to leave its areas in the western countryside of Aleppo and parts of Idlib.
Earlier this month, members of HTS took over control of Idlib province and the surrounding countryside after forcing rival insurgents to accept a deal for a civil administration run by HTS in their areas.
The developments threaten to derail a cease-fire in the area reached in September between Turkey and Russia that averted a potentially catastrophic regime army assault on Idlib.
The deal required militant groups to vacate a frontline buffer zone, a move that was never implemented by HTS militants.
The Syrian regime has repeatedly threatened to launch an offensive to recapture Idlib province, which is packed with 3 million people, including many who were displaced from other parts of the country.
The latest advances by the HTS, which include many foreign militants, raise questions over the future of the deal. (Zaman Al Wasl, AP)
Zaman Al Wasl
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