JABHAT FATAH AL-SHAM ATTACKS AHRAR AL-SHAM CHECKPOINTS, HQS IN IDLIB

Member of Jabhat Fath al-Sham holds his group flag in Idlib

On January 19, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) attacked a number of Ahrar al-Sham checkpoints and local headquarters in the militant-held province of Idlib.

After a series of clashes, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham units seized from Ahrar al-Sham the Khirbet al-Jawz crossing on Turkish border, few checkpoints and a local headquarters in Khirbet al-Jawz. Some Ahrar al-Sham members were taken captive.

An infighting between the militant groups were also reported near Darkoush, Jisr ash-Shugur and Bdama. Jabhat Fatah al-Sham captured a number of Ahrar al-Sham positions in Jisr ash-Shugur and Bdama.

The situation is now unclear in Darkoush.

The groups are blaming each other in the social media for undermining the “values of Syrian revolution”.

Local sources say that the clashes are result of the ongoing “political” standoff among militant groups for the power in the province of Idlib which became the main militant stronghold in Syria after the liberation of the Aleppo city.

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