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On August 5, the National Front for Liberation (NFL) launched a security operation against the supporters of the reconciliation process in the northern Hama countryside, according to the Syrian news outlet Enab Baladi. The pro-opposition outlet said that 45 civilians have been arrested by the newly formed armed group so far.
The NFL was formed by several large armed groups in northern Syria on August 1. Syrian opposition activists believe that Turkey is the key backer of the new group.
Two days ago, the former branch of al-Qaeda in Syria, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched a similar operation against pro-reconciliation figures in the northern governorate of Idlib. During the operation, more than 14 civilians were arrested by the security forces of the radical group.
Previously, the militants in southern Syria carried out similar operations and even assassinated several members of the local reconciliation committees there. However, these attempts to terrorize the locals failed, and the southern governorates of Daraa and al-Quneitra joined the process eventually.
