Two very important statements issued by al-Qaeda and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in northern Syria. Both offer insights into the nature of the fighting between the two in the north, and a little about their "relationship".
Summary and commentary in this #thread.
Summary and commentary in this #thread.
Starting with the latest, just now. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra) issues a response to al-Qaeda, denying they initiated the fighting against the formal franchise of al-Qaeda known as Hurras ad-Din.
HTS's statement is issued by Abu Abdullah al-Shami.
HTS's statement is issued by Abu Abdullah al-Shami.
Al-Shami says his group HTS and al-Qaeda's franchise had signed an agreement (after a period of fighting that followed the HTS breaking away from al-Qaeda) that regulated al-Qaeda franchise's work in the north. Those regulations include:
Al-Shami basically says the north must be administered by the government set up by his group, which came to dominate there in recent years. Al-Qaeda franchise, per the agreement, isn't allowed to set up checkpoints or courts & not allowed to run intelligence/security work there.
Al-Shami adds that any disagreements between the two would have to be resolved by joint judges from the two groups. He says al-Qaeda violated these rules, and set up checkpoints, conducted intelligence operations, engaged in extortion (ihtitab) and kidnappings.
Al-Shami says jihad needs to be under one banner, one amir & one group. If this can't be achieved, it is necessary to keep trying. Establishing separate war coalitions (operation rooms, which al-Qaeda tried to estalish with select groups) further fragments not unites, he suggests
So HTS's top sharia official basically is unequivocal: we dominate, you can work but you have to play by our rules. If you don't, we will force everyone to be under our banner. Al-Qaeda central is biased toward its official franchise Hurras ad-Din, so its statements are rejected.
According to HTS, Hurras ad-Din violated signed agreements and began to engage in more activities than just fighting. HTS issued frequent warnings, he says, but al-Qaeda continued to do that. The factors behind the continuing infighting in the north between al-Qaeda and HTS.
Al-Qaeda's statement is long-winded, and mostly preaching about unity. It says Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has denied freedom of operation for its rivals, and ends the statement with a call for "al-Qaeda members operating under the banner of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" ...
Al-Qaeda statement calls on "members of al-Qaeda operating under the leadership/banner of our brothers in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to prevent the use of force against their Muslim brothers, and not to respond to their commanders' orders to fight their brothers...
and not to respond to their commanders' orders to fight their brothers in the name of [achieving] dominance & consolidating the space, away from the disease of fragmentation and disunity."
Another statement, from HTS's Mazhar al-Wais, is more aggressive against al-Qaeda, saying it's once again forgetting the lessons of ISIS & adopts the narrative of its branch in Syria (Hurras ad-Din).
[Interesting to recall how al-Qaeda handled the Nusra & ISIS rift in 2013-14]
[Interesting to recall how al-Qaeda handled the Nusra & ISIS rift in 2013-14]
Quite a step for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, banning the formation of any new faction, coalition, or operation rooms in areas controlled by it.
That’s the bottom line for the rebranding it did in 2016.
That’s the bottom line for the rebranding it did in 2016.
