Turkey is beginning to worry about the wave of attacks in Idlib. The TAF carry out roundups, while defusing IEDs and installing cameras on the M4

Turkey is beginning to be concerned about the escalation of violence against the TAF and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Idlib. This is confirmed by a note from the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights (SOHR), which notes an anomalous deployment of Ankara troops from Ma’rat Misrin and Al-Fu’ah to the capital of the Syrian province. Soldiers are reportedly carrying out roundups and defusing hidden IEDs in the area. In addition, in recent days they have installed surveillance cameras on the M4, the highway from Aleppo to Latakia. Specifically, from Ariha to Bdama, near Jisr al-Shughour. In fact, several attacks have recently been recorded both against the TAF and against the jihadists allied to Ankara. They are often carried out by commando aboard motorcycles, but bombs have also been used against vehicles of the two actors.

Ankara trusts Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) less and less and the militiamen have understood this

There are two hypotheses as to who is behind the campaign of attacks against the TAF and HTS. The first is that it is a rival militia, overshadowed by the Qaedist group, which is trying to raise its head. It could be Isis or local formations operating in Idlib. The second, however, is that it is the work of Damascus. In both cases, however, the objectives are to fuel Turkey’s chaos and distrust of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Moreover, this objective was achieved as Ankara began to move independently to ensure the safety of its troops, while this was up to now mainly entrusted to the fundamentalists, who controlled the local population with violence and had bent competitors in the area. Not surprisingly, HTS itself has launched some operations in part of the Syrian province, in order to find the perpetrators of the attacks and recover credibility with the foreign partner.