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On October 13, a large force of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and several units from the Hamzah Division and the Suleiman Shah Division, both backed by Turkey, occupied the key city of Afrin in the northern Aleppo countryside.
HTS and its allies didn’t face any resistance from the Turkish-backed 3rd Corps, which withdrew from the city and its outskirts.
The fall of Afrin city was a major defeat for the 3rd Corps and its allies, who started the battle in the northern Aleppo countryside three days earlier by launching a large-scale attack against the Hamzah Division. Initially, the corps managed to push Hamzah militants out from the town of al-Bab.
The Suleiman Shah Division was the first to come to the support of Hamzah militants, followed by HTS whose forces stormed Afrin area on October 11.
While HTS entered Afrin under the pretext of support the Hamzah Division, it appears that the terrorist group has taken the area for itself. The group’s advance in the area forced hundreds of families to flee towards the towns of Azaz and al-Bab. Most of the refugees were local Kurds who fear the group’s radical ideology.
HTS may not stop in Afrin. The terrorist group could move deeper in Turkish-occupied territory in the northern Aleppo countryside to support Hamzah and Suleyman Shah militants, who are currently attempting to capture al-Bab. Heavy clashes have been ongoing around the town since the morning.
The main goal of HTS, the Hamzah Division and the Suleiman Shah Division appears to be to fully neutralize the Shamiya Front, the core faction of the 3rd Corps.
According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the battle in the northern Aleppo countryside has claimed the lives of 12 militants and four civilians, so far.
The Turkish military, who maintains a large force in the northern Aleppo countryside, is yet to move to end the battle. Ankara does not appear to be bothered by HTS advance in Afrin. The terrorist group may not withdraw from the area any time soon.
