ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States on Tuesday said it was “alarmed” by the recent deployment of a Syrian radical force it has designated as a terrorist group to the northwestern city of Afrin, calling on the militants to withdraw from the town “immediately.”
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has been internationally recognized as a terrorist organization, on Thursday took control of Afrin city following clashes with pro-Turkey forces over the assassination of an activist.
“We are alarmed by the recent incursion of HTS, a designated terrorist organization, into northern Aleppo. HTS forces should be withdrawn from the area immediately,” read a tweet from the US embassy in Syria which has been closed since 2012 due to the Syrian civil war.
Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department told Rudaw's Roj Elli Zalla via email on Tuesday that Washington is "concerned about the recent violence in northwest Syria, especially its impact on civilians."
"We urge all parties to de-escalate and to prioritize the safety and well-being of the Syrian people. HTS... should stop its escalatory actions in the area," he added.
The unrest came days after the death of a prominent activist in the SNA-controlled al-Bab city. Muhammad Abdul Latif, locally known as Abo Ghanoum, and his wife were killed by unidentified gunmen on October 7. The Third Legion, which controls the city, launched an investigation and later concluded that the couple were killed by al-Hamza Division (al-Hamzat). Therefore, the legion raided the al-Hamzat’s bases, expelling them from al-Bab and Afrin. The HTS expressed support to the al-Hamzat and launched attacks against the Third Legion.
The HTS, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, controls the northwestern province of Idlib and has fought the Syrian regime forces and Russia for years. The jihadist group and a number of groups affiliated to the SNA, such as al-Hamzat, Sultan Suleiman Shah Division and Ahrar al-Sham, deployed forces to Afrin on Thursday and clashed with the SNA-affiliated Third Legion which used to be in control of the city. The Kurdish city fell under the control of the HTS.
Turkey, which has not officially commented on the tensions, has reportedly deployed more forces to Afrin to deescalate the tensions. It also dispatched more armored vehicles and tanks on Tuesday, according to Turkish media.
Turkish intervention has somehow deescalated the tensions but the HTS still remains in control of Afrin.
Suraj al-Deen al-Shami, a rebel spokesman, told the AFP on Tuesday that “this may indicate their approval.”
People have taken to streets in some towns in northwestern Syria, protesting against the HTS’ deployment to the area, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Hussein Omar, a Belgium-based researcher in strategic affairs, told Rudaw on Saturday that what is happening if a game between Russia and Turkey, saying the HTS control of Afrin will pave the way for Moscow to attack the group “under the pretext of fighting terrorism.”
Russia said on Sunday that it killed 100 "radicals" in northwestern Syria, mentioning HTS in its former name - al-Nusra Front.
Major General Oleg Yegorov, Head of Russia's Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides in Syria, was quoted by Russian state-owned TASS as saying his country’s air forces targeted a couple of other radical groups as well.
Updated at 10:15pm with comment from Vedant Patel
