New Turkish Bases in Northern Syria; Details
Turkey is preparing to establish two new military bases in northern Syria, as it tries to rein in outlawed militias.
Reports indicate the two new bases aim to prevent new conflicts between Turkish-backed militias such as the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Tahrir al-Sham (formerly al-Nusra Front), Observatory 80 reported.
Military outposts are planned to be set up near the Ghazawya crossing in Rif Aleppo and the Dayr Balut gate in northern Idlib.
A senior member of the Syrian army claimed that Turkish armed forces were deployed in the area, and that two military installations were expected to be constructed, but construction had not yet begun.
The source said that it was not known whether Turkey’s planned base was permanent or temporary.
The military outposts planned by the Turkish armed forces will be set up to monitor the exit of HTS, which entered Afrin last week, from areas under the control of the Syrian army, he said.
The area has seen clashes between HTS in support of certain factions, including al-Hamza, against others, most notably the Syrian National Army’s third corps, which also includes the Levant Front and Jaish al-Islam.
Just a few days later, HTS entered the Afrin region, taking over all of its institutions for the first time.
The Third Corps spokesman Sirajuddin al-Shami told AFP: “The Commission is in full control of the Afrin region, all the institutions there, and has taken over public security and the management of the checkpoints.”
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an agreement was reached between the warring sides under which the SCIRI would take over the service and economic institutions, establish security in Afrin, and deploy its members at the crossings between Syrian regime forces and the Kurds.
The agreement was supposed to cover other areas, but since the HTS entered Afrin, a few hundred residents in several cities have protested against its entry to their areas, chanting “al-Julani (HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani) goes out.”
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