afrinpost-Exclusive
The Turkish military, accompanied by militias from the “Hamza/Al-Hamzat Division” and “Suleiman Shah/Al-Amshat” factions, deployed armored vehicles and tanks at a checkpoint in the village of Kafr Janna in the Shara sub-district, as well as at the Ghazawiyah and Deir Ballout crossings in the Shirawa and Jindires sub-districts of Afrin. This move, observed on the evening of September 23rd, aims to prevent the entry of convoys belonging to the “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” organization and their movement towards the occupied city of Jarabulus.
The Turkish military has allowed these crossings to remain open for commercial traffic between Afrin and Idlib, along with other areas under their control in northern Syria.
Additionally, the “Sultan Murad” militia and the “Abu Haydar Maskanah” group have mobilized their forces on the outskirts of the city of Akhtarin and the villages controlled by the “Ahrar Aoulan” group, which is aligned with “Tahrir al-Sham” in al-Bab area. This was prompted by concerns of a potential new attack on their positions in the occupied territory of Azaz.
According to our correspondent, villages like Tellalah, Haj Kousa, Sandi, and Tell Batall near the cities of Akhtarin and al-Bab have witnessed mass displacement, driven by fears of renewed clashes between conflicting parties over the strategic Hamran crossing. Local residents have sought refuge in more secure areas such as Ar-Rai, Azaz, and al-Bab in the northern Aleppo countryside.
The correspondent has also confirmed that three separate groups of fighters from the terrorist organization “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” entered the occupied city of Afrin on September 23rd. Each group consisted of approximately 30 individuals, and they congregated at the Kawa Square amidst the heightened alert of Turkish forces.
