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The al-Qaeda-affiliated Wa Harid al-Muminin sent on August 11 large reinforcements to the southeastern countryside of Idlib to fend off the ongoing Syrian Arab Army (SAA) attack there.
A day earlier the SAA advanced in the region and imposed control of the key Sukayk hill. Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its Turkish-backed allies failed to recapture the hill, or even to stop the army’s advance.
The deployment of al-Qaeda terrorists indicates that another attempt to recapture Sukayk hill could be in the making. Heavy clashes are already being reported in the region.
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Wa Harid al-Muminin was formed last year by Jamat Ansar al-Islam, Horas al-Din, Jabhat Ansar al-Islam and Ansar al-Tawhid. Earlier this month, the terrorist coalition rejected the Sochi agreement or any political solution in Greater Idlib.
The involvement of such terrorist groups in southern Idlib battles is an example of the public coordination between al-Qaeda and Turkish-backed militants, which is being ignored by mainstream media.
