HTS was a magnet for foreign fighters from Europe, but now they are in its prisons as part of the group's efforts to gain international support (Photo MEE). By Harun al-Aswad At the foot of a hill between the cities of Atma and Harem in northern Syria's Idlib province, simple tents have been stationed for years, … Continue reading Coups on allies: HTS rids Syria’s Idlib of opponents
Omar Omsen, leader of the Firqatul Gharaba brigade, was detained on Saturday, as widening HTS crackdown also targets Hizb ut-Tahrir members. Pictured during an interview with Al Jazeera in 2014 (Screengrab) By Simon Hooper, Harun al-Aswad A senior French fighter has been detained by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in a new round of arrests by the militant … Continue reading Notorious French militant leader arrested by HTS in Syria’s Idlib
Palestinian refugees have endured bombings and sieges during the Syrian war. Now they face the confiscation of their houses (Photo source AFP). By Harun al-Aswad Inside an old traditional Arab house between the opposition-controlled cities of Afrin and Azaz in northern Syria, Palestinian refugee Ammar al-Qudsi has done his best to settle in and make it … Continue reading Palestinians’ homes stolen once again as Assad eyes Syria’s Yarmouk camp
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham launches crackdown against new operations room allied with Hurras al-Deen, pitting al-Qaeda's former Syrian affiliate against its current one (Photo source MEE). By Harun al-Aswad Clashes between hardline groups have erupted in Idlib, the last rebel-held stronghold in northwestern Syria, amid a crackdown by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) targeting prominent defectors from its … Continue reading Civil war within civil war: HTS battles rival militants, defectors in Syria’s Idlib
Pictures smuggled out of Syria in 2013 are resurfacing after enactment of US sanctions against Assad and his supporters (Photo Sourse MEE). By Harun al-Aswad Nadir Abbud died of a heart attack on Monday. Hours earlier, he had seen a photo online of his only son soon after he was tortured and killed. Abbud, from Syria's Idlib province, had … Continue reading ‘Tears for their sons’: Republished Caesar photos bring fresh agony to Syria