Syria Faces Islamist Attack in the Environs of Aleppo: Russia Hoodwinked by NATO Turkey
Kanako Mita, Sawako Uchida, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The government of Syria is seeking to repulse a new Islamist attack in the environs of Aleppo and Idlib. Accordingly, counterattacks by the Syrian army are ongoing against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other Sunni Islamist forces – some backed by NATO Turkey.
Iran and Hezbollah – both supporters of the Syrian government – are involved in a tense stage with Israel. This notably concerns Hezbollah (a proxy of Iran), whose leadership is being dismantled by Israel after several successful assassinations.
With a nod from NATO Turkey, it seems that President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation is once more being hoodwinked by Turkey (Türkiye). Hence, the Russian Federation must curtail the intrigues of NATO Turkey in the Caucasus region and northern Syria – rather than seeking to work with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
Le Monde reports, “Jihadist fighters cut the Damascus to Aleppo highway on Thursday while a day earlier, jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions launched a surprise attack on government-held areas of northern Aleppo province, triggering the fiercest fighting in years, according to the Observatory.”
Turkey, under President Erdogan, is constantly involving itself in foreign conflicts. This includes the utilization of Islamist terrorists (mercenaries) from Syria in the conflicts of Libya, Syria, and Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian Christians in Nagorno-Karabakh were cleansed by Azerbaijan with the assistance of Turkey on several fronts). NATO Turkey also attacks the Kurds in Iraq and Syria – often killing Christians, Yazidis, and other minorities.
Turkey and Sunni Islamist forces understand that Iran and the Russian Federation face major issues -outside of the immediate conflict in Syria. This notably applies to the weakening of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon to the environs of Beirut. Therefore, Iran is focused on its anti-Israel stance.
The BBC reports (concerning the province of Idlib), “The enclave is mostly controlled by HTS, but Turkish-backed rebel factions operating under the banner of the Syrian National Army (SNA) and Turkish forces are also based there.”
Reports claim that approximately 200 people have been killed in the fighting on all sides – including the deaths of civilians caught up in the Sunni Islamist attack. Accordingly, the HTS and other Sunni Islamist groups have advanced roughly 10km in western Aleppo.
AP News reports, “Turkey, which backs Syrian opposition factions, and Russia and Iran, which have backed government forces, reached an agreement in late 2019 that effectively froze the line of the conflict and prevented government advances in Idlib province, which has been the last stronghold for a mix of radical groups and Turkey-backed Syrian forces.”
The Russian Federation and Syria are responding to the threat. Hence, airstrikes are ongoing to contain the crisis.
Reuters reports, “Russian and Syrian warplanes bombed rebel-held northwest Syria near the border with Turkey on Thursday to push back an insurgent offensive that captured territory for the first time in years, Syrian army and rebel sources said.”
Putin needs to open his eyes to the intrigues of Turkey under Erdogan – rather than placating Erdogan. After all, Turkey is in NATO.
Also, Turkey supports the Muslim Brotherhood – along with spreading Turkey’s power in the Caucasus, Central Asia (pan-Turkism), and parts of West Asia (the Middle East).
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