afrinpost – Exclusive
The Turkish-affiliated Syrian National Army militias mobilized their forces in the occupied cities of Afrin, Azaz, al-Bab, Mare’, and Jarabulus. They increased their military readiness and launched an attack, directly ordered by the Turkish authorities, on the evening of September 21st. Their objective is to expel the “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham” organization and the allied groups from the cities of al-Bab and Jarabulus in the eastern and northeastern countryside of Aleppo.
These militias aim to break the siege imposed on the “Abu Dajanah al-Kurdi” group, operating within the ranks of the Second Corps militia, by the “Abu Dahdah Manbij” group, which is aligned with “Tahrir al-Sham,” in the village of Abla in the occupied al-Bab district.
According to our correspondent, the National Army militias initiated the attack on the organization’s positions along the Thulthana and Abla axes. This operation coincided with intensive reconnaissance aircraft flights conducted by Turkish forces in the region. Additionally, the Turkish forces closed Al-Ghazawiya crossing in the Shirawa sub-district and the Deir Belout crossing in the Jindires sub-district in Afrin to prevent “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham” convoys from Idlib from reaching the conflict zones in al-Bab.
This development comes after “Tahrir al-Sham,” in cooperation with the “Abu Dahdah Manbij” group, a faction within the “Movement of Islamic Ahrar al-Sham” managed to seize control of the village of Thulthana and besiege the neighboring village of Abla on September 21st. Their aim is to control the strategic Hamran crossing that connects the military council areas in Manbij with the National Army militias in northern occupied Syria.
