Breaking Up To Make Up On The Frontlines Of Idlib
By: Insight Media
Tags: Idlib, Syria, Russia, Middle East, Turkey

On Sunday 30th August, a meeting between prominent media activists and media outlets based in the liberated areas of Northern Syria or those outlets that cover the events as they follow, was called by the military wing of Hayat Tahrir Ash-Shaam (HTS). Insight Media were invited to the meeting where the main commanders who lead the military wing were the hosts, providing exclusive information and the development of the dynamics surrounding the liberated areas of Northern Syria.

The key points of the meeting fall into several categories; 1. The development of inter-faction co-ordination and co-operation, 2. Acknowledgment and the overcoming of challenges that were noted from the 11 month military campaign led by Russia last year, 3. Turkish participation and stance in the liberated areas, 4. The role and obligations upon the media activists and media outlets in the liberated areas.

(A picture of victory after the operations room of Jaish al-Fath liberated the strategic town of Ariha, s. Idlib in 2015)

1. Inter-faction co-ordination and co-operation in their different levels had always existed since the start of the Syrian revolution. Arguably the largest factor that had slowed down the Syrian revolution from achieving its goals had been the disunity of the factions which stemmed from contrasting objectives etc. Now after 9 years of war and chaos, in terms of military unity the most prominent and largest factions have formed a unified operations room Fathul Mubeen (The Grand Conquest).

A similar operations room was formed several years ago called Jaish al Fath (Army of Conquests) where many key battles were won through unity and co-ordination, such as the liberation of Jisr Ash Shughur and Idlib. This successful operations room had become the pinnacle of the Mujahideen’s strength at the time and its legacy never left the tongues of those in the liberated areas. According to the commanders of the Fathul Mubeen (The Grand Conquest) operations room, the inter-factional co-ordination and co-operation is many times stronger than that of the Jaish al Fath (Army of Conquests) operations room. Some of the details mentioned were how the different components and military resources available to each faction have each been attributed to an appointed commander from amongst the commanders of the different factions. This had merged the resources available into one reserve, forming a centralized structure for resources.

(Mujahideen of the Fathul Mubeen operations room in a advanced elite training camp, Idlib 2020)

2. Years of fighting against various enemies, militias and mercenaries, the Mujahideen had passed through many challenges and inevitably had to adapt to the changing dynamics of the war. Tactics in warfare and military conduct used against the Syrian army in the early years of the war were to some extent primitive compared to the present. Participation of battle hardened Iranian militias and experienced Russian personnel were the sole factor for the survival of the Syrian army, using their advanced weaponry and Air Force to turn the tides. The 11 month Russian led campaign on the free areas in 2019 had taught the Mujahideen many lessons and thus became the stepping stones for development and adaptation to the dynamics of the battlefield. Emphasis had been put on fortifying the frontlines and modifying defensive positions to better suit the style of warfare that they had been exposed to.

Training camps from the beginner level up to the elite forces and all speciality brigades have been given direction to modify and stress the importance of graduating well seasoned fighters both on an individual level as well as the squad level. Special emphasis had been given to increasing the night capabilities of the Mujahideen in offense and defense as well as artillery support fire. The main challenges were narrowed down by consensus of the commanders of the Fathul Mubeen (The Grand Conquest) operations room where all had agreed and began to apply the necessary procedures both in their areas of operation across the frontlines as well as their training camps. Routine visits monitoring the progress of the frontlines and various training camps are a part of the duties of the head commanders of the Fathul Mubeen operations room where each commander is able to take note of how each faction is coming along in fulfilling their duties.

(A military convoy of the Turkish Army Forces in Idlib, Syria)

3. Turkish intervention and participation in the liberated areas of Northern Syria had been a grey area for a while, where not knowing their stance and commitment to the Syrian revolution was the root of the doubts surrounding their presence in the area. Since the start of the 11 month Russian led campaign last year, Turkish participation had been passive, with the Turkish Army constricting themselves to their observation points.

However, since the rapid fall of key strategic areas which displaced an estimated 1 million Syrians to the Turkish-Syrian border in the North, in addition to the dozens of casualties the Turkish Army had suffered, their passive stance had turned into a more active one. Thousands of military personnel along with their military hardware had been brought into the liberated areas of Idlib to be deployed along the frontlines, where numerous amounts of times the Turkish Army had engaged in targeting the Russian backed Assad militants.

(A Turkish military post in the province of Idlib, Syria)

Turkish co-operation with the military commanders of the Fathul Mubeen operations room is present, where intelligence regarding the positions of the Russian backed Assad militants are shared for the Turkish artillery and other means of fire support to target them, also in some cases armored personnel carriers have been provided to be used in battle. Since the so called ceasefire in March, Turkey had deployed numerous heavy artillery systems as well as soldiers and even short-medium range air defense systems across the frontlines of Idlib.

Although the goals of the Turkish Army and the Mujahideen are not the same, in some cases the reality on the field, in addition to common interests in some situations lead to the co-operation of offensive/defensive encounters against the Russian backed Assad militants. It was mentioned that the Mujahideen’s primary reliance is first from Allah and then themselves, with regards to military resources through domestic production etc. and the Turkish presence with its advanced military capabilities on the frontlines are considered a bonus. Furthermore, the Turkish Army have no influence on the military decisions to be made by the Mujahideen in terms of offense or defense, the decisions are taken through consensus by the commanders of Fathul Mubeen operations room.

(Abu Hassan Hamawi, a military commander in the Fathul Mubeen operations room giving a speech to the Mujahideen in a military camp)

4. Emphasis was put on how the Islamic obligations to defend the lives of the Muslims and preserve their honor by the Mujahideen are also shared by those outside of the military field in their respected fields, such as parties in civil governance, education, media etc. Reliability and trustworthiness were the highlighted attributes that were mentioned for a media activist/media outlet to possess, as inaccurate information has a detrimental impact both to morale and the revolutionary spirit of those in the liberated areas of Northern Syria.

Those present in the meeting were given the opportunity to clear any doubts or clarify information with regards to the military developments through direct dialogue to the commanders both within the meeting and whenever there may be requests for clarification and certification in the future. The commanders had shown their gratitude and expressed their appreciation for the efforts made by those present in the meeting by awarding them with certificates of appreciation for their participation in covering the affairs of the Syrian Revolution. The meeting had ended with the re-emphasis acknowledging that success and victory is reached through shared responsibility by all personnel whether military or non military and that the Syrian Revolution is to be considered an advanced front for preserving the entire Muslim Nation and the Sunni identity for generations to come.

Insight Media