Maarouf says Islamist groups unable to eliminate moderate rebels

Translation by Yusra Ahmed

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Leader of West-backed rebel group Syria Revolutionaries Front, says that his last defeat by al-Qaeda wing in Syria two months ago in Idlib province will not eliminate the presence of Free Syrian Army (FSA).

Jamal Maarouf, in special statement to Zaman al-Wasl, said his front will not deviate from its main target to overthrow Bashar al-Assad.

Maarouf denied rumors saying he left the country, seeking asylum in a European country.

“I have entered Syria many times.. Everyone here knows me by real name and face, not like al-Baghdadi (Islamic State Leader) or al-Joulani (Nsura Front Leadr),” Maarouf said.

The fugitive commander confirmed that his rebel group will keep fighting to protect Syrian people, saying 6 Islamist factions joined the Nusra Front last November in the battles against Syria Revolutionaries Front including Aqsa soldiers, IS, Ahrar al-Sham, Soqour al-Sham, Liwa al-Tawheed and Liwa al-Omma

Despite his confession that dissolving the front is the best option for recent circumstances, he confirms that Front has not disappeared as there are 4000 fighters of the Syria Revolutionaries Front distributed in many bases without raising the front’s banner.

Maarouf added that only himself and 50 other leaders who withdrew to Turkey. He mentions that the Front’s withdrawal unveiled all and put the FSA in a difficult situation and no battalion left to preset it.

 Maarouf  denied any corruption in his front led to its end. He confirmed that Nusra Front and the Islamic State have no evidence of corruption against the Revolutionaries Front. He anticipated that Soqoor al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham would be the next target of the Nusra and the State.

 “Both leaders of Nusra Front and IS had refused the arbitration of Shariah to resolve the conflict,” he said.

Regarding Wadi al-Dief battle where Nusra Front succeeded to control the strategic stronghold of Syrian regime, Maaroof said victory was the outcome of 3 years siege and fighting his front with other battalions had had.

“Syria Revolutionaries Front had cut the vital road supplied Wadi al-Dief for a year,” he added.

Maarouf denied what Nusra Front claimed about capturing heavy arms of the Front’s stores, and confronted it to show any piece of claimed arms.

About the well and bodies were pulled out of it, who claimed to be killed by the Revolutionaries Front, he explains that well is more that 1.5 kilometre away from his Front's bases, while it is only 100 meter far from a base of Ahrar al-Sham. Moreover he mentioned that Nusra Front did not show any picture of any corpse of claimed killed people.

He rejected accusations of killing any civilian, but confirmed killing a “Shabih” and one regime’s soldier, and all immigrants his Front killed, was to defend themselves, as they were killed at the front’s bases and areas it controlled when Immigrants wanted to occupy their areas.

In regard to pulling out the body of Abo Abdul Aziz al-Qatari, the leader of Aqsa’s Soldiers, from a well for the Revolutionaries Front, he confronted Nusra front to prove that corpse was for

al-Qatari, even if that was proved, what evidence Nusra Front can bring to confirm that revolutionaries' Front who killed him. “al-Qaeda could be behind killing al-Qatari, like they did with Abo Khalid al-Sori and Ahrar al-Sham leaders,” he said.

Marouf resembled the existence of al-Qaeda in Syria to a cancer that causes problems to all Syrians.

He regrettably mentioned that most 2011’s revolutionaries have left the country, while most the Islamic State’s and Nusra’s leaders and “Emirs” are from 2013’s revolutionaries, who were Shabiha and agents to Syrian regime.

Maarouf  ended that he would not leave the country for Islam’s pretenders, and he would return to Syria soon, but he preferred to stay away because Nusra Front distributed that he was “apostate” and he wanted people to compare situation after his departure, with what was when he was in the area, for example, Nusra Front now forces people to pay “Hesba” in Idlib, which did not dare to do so when he was in the city.