afrinpost-Exclusive
In the occupied city of Al-Bab, dozens of residents took to the streets on the evening of September 26 to voice their opposition to the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organization. The protests come in response to HTS gaining control over several villages in the Aleppo Governorate’s countryside, marking a significant shift in the balance of power away from Turkish-backed National Army militias.
HTS, along with affiliated groups like Ahrar Al-Awlani and Faylaq al-Sham, recently seized control of villages situated between the cities of Al-Bab and Akhtarin, as well as the Hamran area in the countryside of Jarablus. This advance was made at the expense of the Turkish-backed Sultan Murad militias, resulting in considerable human losses for the latter during confrontations in the Turkman Barah, Duwaybah, and Dabiq regions in the eastern and northern Aleppo countryside.
Conversely, the Sultan Murad militias launched a counterattack on the villages recently captured by HTS and its allies along the Dayr Hurry, Sabuniyya, Shaynah, and Buzani axes in the Jarablus countryside.
Meanwhile, Al-Jabha al-Shamiya, the Second Legion, and the First Legion militias have maintained a passive stance, merely observing the ongoing clashes for the past two days.
In response to the escalating situation, armed members of the Sultan Murad militia initiated the relocation of their families from Afrin to border villages in the Sharan subdistrict, such as Qurneh. This move appears to be a prelude to their entry into Turkish territory, given HTS’s swift advances alongside allied militias in Azaz, Akhtarin, and Jarablus.
Throughout the day, HTS, Ahrar Al-Awlani, and Faylaq al-Sham have managed to secure control over approximately ten strategic villages. These include Sabuniyya, Shaynah, and Buraniyya on the Jarablus axis, as well as Dabiq and Shaykh Issa on the Mare’ axis. Moreover, they have advanced in the northern and eastern Aleppo areas populated by Turkmans, inching closer to imposing a potential siege on the occupied cities of Azaz and Mare’, all under the observation of Turkish forces.
