
From ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra to HTS  

2024-12-08 09:41:27


	RIHA - Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is on the ‘terrorist list’ of many states and once again came to the agenda with its recent attacks, separated from ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra and became an effective force in Idlib and its surroundings.&nbsp;

	The civil war in Syria, which started in 2011, has been going on uninterruptedly for 13 years. Although tensions have decreased in some regions from time to time, the clashes have never stopped. On 26 November, new developments took place. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) attacked Aleppo, one of the most important cities of Syria. With the withdrawal of the army, Aleppo came under the control of HTS. Immediately afterwards, Hama also came under the control of HTS in a similar manner.&nbsp;

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	FROM ISIS AND JABHAT AL-NUSRA TO HTS &nbsp;

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	HTS was founded in 2011 as an offshoot of ISIS under the name "Jabhat al-Nusra" by Mohammed al-Julani, who still heads the organisation. "Jabhat al-Nusra" parted ways with ISIS in 2013.&nbsp;

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	In March 2015, Jabhat al-Nusra, together with other paramilitary groups, established a joint operation called the "Army of Conquest", which later took control of Idlib.&nbsp;

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	"Jabhat al-Nusra" changed its name in order to reverse the "negative image" of al-Qaeda in the past. Al-Julani parted ways with al-Qaeda in 2016 and changed the name of the organisation to "Jabhat Fateh al-Sham" on 29 July of the same year.&nbsp;

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	HTS was established under its own name on 28 January 2017 with the merger of various armed groups. Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Front, Nur al-Din Zengi, Liwa al-Haqq, Jaysh al-Sunna and Ansar al-Din Front took part in the establishment of HTS. HTS was founded in northern Syria with the aim of establishing a government based on Islamic law (sharia) and overthrowing the Assad regime.&nbsp;

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	‘TERRORIST ORGANISATION’ ACCORDING TO MANY STATES&nbsp;

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	Since its establishment, HTS has taken part in many attacks against the Assad regime and the Russian and Iranian-backed groups in the region. It established a judicial system based on Sharia in Idlib. It worked with professional teams through virtual media to spread its ideology. It collected taxes in and around Idlib and controlled border crossings.&nbsp;

	It targeted the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and other groups in Idlib, aiming to weaken them. Its practices have caused many reactions from the residents of the region. Its practices also led to instability in the region.&nbsp;

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	It is known that HTS receives support from some states and organisations internationally. Although not directly, Turkey has developed various co-operations in the areas controlled by HTS in order to freeze the conflicts in Idlib and prevent the migration wave. Many states, including the US and Turkey, recognise HTS as a ‘terrorist organisation’.&nbsp;

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	It is not clearly known how many members HTS has. However, it is stated that it has between 10 thousand and 20 thousand members.&nbsp;

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	HTS, which has once again become prominent in the Syrian arena with the recent attacks, will directly affect the upcoming process when it takes control of Aleppo and Hama. The view that the spread of HTS across a wide area will further deepen the instability in Syria comes to the fore.&nbsp;

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	MA / Delal Akyüz

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