Turkey separating moderate rebels from radicals in Idlib: Report

A general view shows tents housing internally displaced people in Atma camp, near the Syrian-Turkish border in Idlib Governorate. Turkey on Saturday said it is separating moderate opposition groups from those listed by the international community as terrorist groups in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province. (REUTERS file photo)

ANKARA: In Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province, Turkey is separating moderate opposition groups from those listed by the international community as terrorist groups, a Foreign Ministry official said, Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News reported. 
As part of this policy, Ankara has separated some moderate groups from the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) alliance, which is blacklisted by the UN, the official added. 
HTS’ main faction Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham (formerly Al-Nusra Front) holds significant territory in Idlib, is one of the most powerful terrorist groups in Syria, and was affiliated with Al-Qaeda before it changed its name. 
“When Russia started airstrikes in Syria two years ago to prop up the Assad regime, it came under heavy criticism from the West and Turkey, mainly because it targeted not only Daesh but also rebel groups fighting the regime,” Emre Ersen, a Syria analyst from Marmara University in Istanbul, told Arab News. 
“But as Moscow turned the strategic balance in the regime’s favor, its stance on the issue started to soften.” 
Just before it launched the Astana process with Iran and Turkey, Russia said groups such as Ahrar Al-Sham and Jaish Al-Islam, which it previously viewed as terrorist groups, could be included in the peace process as members of the moderate opposition, Ersen said. 
“One of the major goals of establishing a de-escalation zone in Idlib is to weaken the influence of HTS there,” he added.
“Turkey plays a key role in this regard as it has close relations with most of the rebel groups in Idlib,” Ersen said.  
“Russia believes Turkey can be influential in convincing some of the groups affiliated with HTS to distance themselves from this group and start supporting the Astana process,” he said.
“The Turkish observer mission in Idlib not only monitors the cease-fire there, but also plays a crucial diplomatic role in realizing this objective.”
Mete Sohtaoglu, an Istanbul-based researcher on Middle East politics, told Arab News: “Groups that would contribute to a political settlement are prioritized, with particular emphasis on those that aren’t in conflict with the Assad regime.”