ALEPPO — Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, is refusing calls from al-Qaeda-affiliated Hurras al-Din (Guardians of Faith Group) to resolve their variations by means of Sharia arbitration.
“A yr into the unjust and aggressive arrest of a gaggle of our Mujahideen brothers and college students on the a part of the HTS management, and after the harassment and injustice that our detained brothers have been subjected to over the course of this yr, we needed to make this assertion,” Hurras al-Din chief Abu Humam al-Shami mentioned in a statement launched on Sept. 15.
He added, “We name on the HTS management to resort to Sharia arbitration. … Ought to HTS refuse to take action, then we ask for an impartial judiciary that each events agree on to look into the situation of our prisoners, resolve the variations, settle the standing of properties and belongings they confiscated, and [stop] the continuing arrests in opposition to the Mujahideen.”
Two members of HTS’ Shura Council — Mazhar al-Wais and Abu Maria al-Qahtani (Iraqi nationwide), each of whom are near HTS chief Abu Muhammed al-Golani — refused the provide.
Qahtani mentioned in a statement, “Individuals who take selections on a whim maintain elevating oppression and Sharia arbitration slogans, additionally on a whim.”
Wais said on Twitter, “The true Sharia arbitration goes by means of adherence to the provisions of Islamic Sharia and thru closing ranks away from any strife throughout the army and administrative authorities. Such arbitration proceeds with what the overwhelming majority of the Mujahideen and dignitaries [agree upon] and with the Islamic venture.”
He added, “Sharia arbitration shall not be resorted to in a bid to resolve issues underneath the declare of alleged rights and false wrongdoing, which doesn’t differ from the claims of hypocrites who resort to the Sharia after they suppose that it serves their whims.”
A number of Idlib-based jihadists opposing HTS criticized Qahtani’s and Wais’ rebuffs. They believe HTS intends to hold on its conflict and restrictions against Hurras al-Din in Idlib till it’s fully eradicated whereas selling itself as an open group that fights teams which can be internationally categorized as terrorist.
On Sept. 21, Shami issued a second statement directed at HTS saying, “I hoped to obtain a optimistic response, however I used to be stunned by the responses that had been issued by front-row HTS leaders and their media pages bearing delight in sin whereas deviating from submission to a impartial Sharia judiciary.”
A jihadist supply near Hurras al-Din in Idlib informed Al-Monitor on situation of anonymity, “HTS is carrying on its safety marketing campaign searching for Hurras al-Din leaders and members in Idlib. The safety equipment of HTS has beefed up its security checkpoints on the primary and secondary roads situated on the coronary heart of town and its countryside.”
The supply added, “HTS arrested a couple of days in the past [Sept. 17] Osama al-Karar, a Hurras al-Din chief, throughout a raid that focused his home in Idlib metropolis. Members of the safety equipment detained Karar and beat him up out of nowhere then took him to a jail close to the Bab al-Hawa crossing, [in the] north of Idlib.”
In accordance with the supply, “After a lot of Hurras al-Din detainees in HTS prisons went on starvation strike, HTS transferred its Hurras al-Din detainees from prisons within the southern countryside of Idlib to prisons it has not too long ago established close to Bab al-Hawa crossing within the northern countryside of Idlib.”
The On The Ground News network (OGN) reported via its Telegram on Sept. 13 that a lot of Hurras al-Din members and leaders detained by HTS went on starvation strike as a result of they haven’t appeared earlier than any courts.
“They went on strike as a result of they’ve been imprisoned for greater than a yr now with out trial and with no lawyer representing them, and there may be consequently no probability for his or her launch, added OGN, run by American journalist Darrell Phelps, higher referred to as Bilal Abdel Karim. “Those that went on strike are Abu Abdul Rahman al-Makki, Abu Baseer al-Diri, Abu Hamza al-Daraawi, Abu Abdullah al-Suri, Abu Musab al-Turki and Khallad al-Jawfi.”
Pressure between HTS and Hurras al-Din has not too long ago elevated after al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri praised in a Sept. 11 video an attack carried out by Hurras al-Din in opposition to a Russian base in Tal al-Saman in north Raqqa earlier this yr.
HTS is interrogating Hurras al-Din leaders that it arrests to search out the mastermind behind the operations carried out outdoors Hurras al-Din’s areas of management, a army supply near HTS informed Al-Monitor on situation of anonymity. He added, “HTS is anxious in regards to the new technique of the group and the help it obtained from al-Qaeda’s management. It considers this technique a risk to the opposition areas in northwestern Syria, and fears that the regime and its allies will perform reprisals in opposition to hundreds of thousands of Syrians in Idlib.”
