The Idlib Governorate clashes (July 2017) were a series of military confrontations between

Ahrar al-Sham Harakat Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya (), commonly referred to as Ahrar al-Sham, was a coalition of multiple Sunni Islamist units that coalesced into a single brigade and later a division in order to fight against the Syrian Government led by Bas ...

and

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was a Sunni Islamist political organisation and paramilitary group involved in the Syrian civil war. It was formed on 28January 2017 as a merger between several armed groups: Jaysh al-Ahrar (an Ahrar al-Sham facti ...

(HTS). During the clashes, Tahrir al-Sham attempted to capture the Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing, causing concern for

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, which prefers Ahrar al-Sham to be in control of the crossing. As a result of the clashes, HTS took control of Idlib city, the Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing, and most of the areas along the Turkish border in the Idlib Province.

Background

The

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (also known as SOHR; ), founded in May 2006, is a United Kingdom-based information office whose stated aim is to document human rights abuses in Syria; since 2011 it has focused on the Syrian Civil War. ...

(SOHR) said that the fighting began when HTS fired on demonstrators throughout the

Idlib Governorate Idlib Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Idlib'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay province to the north, Aleppo Governorate to the east, Hama Governorate to the sou ...

who carried the 1932 French Mandate flag, recently adopted by Ahrar al-Sham in addition to its original white Islamic flag. HTS, which embraces the

Black Standard The Black Banner or Black Standard (), also known as the Banner of the eagle () or simply as The Banner () is one of the Islamic flags flown by the Islamic prophet Muhammad according to Muslim tradition. It was historically used by Abu Musli ...

, opposes the use of the tricolour flag. The two rivals accused each other of provoking this round of fighting in Iblin.

The clashes

Prior to the major breakout of fighting, on 14 July, clashes occurred between Ahrar al-Sham and

Suqour al-Sham The Suqour al-Sham Brigades (, ), also known as the Falcons of the Levant Brigades, was an armed rebel organisation formed by Ahmed Abu Issa early in the Syrian Civil War to fight against the Government of Syria, Syrian Government. It was a mem ...

against Tahrir al-Sham in multiple locations in the Idlib Governorate, including Saraqib and Jabal Zawiya. On 19 July, forces of Tahrir al-Sham took hold of the town of Salqin, later in the day capturing Al-Dana and Saraqib. On 20 July, Tahrir al-Sham captured the border town of Atme from Ahrar al-Sham. Following the capture of Atme, Tahrir al-Sham attempted to capture the Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing in its campaign to cut off Ahrar al-Sham from Turkey. On 21 July, a convoy of forces from the

Sham Legion The Sham Legion (, ''Faylaq al-Shām'' lit. Levant Legion) was an alliance of Sunni Islamist rebel groups formed in March 2014, during the Syrian Civil War. The alliance was formed from 19 different groups, some of which were previously affil ...

and the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement, which left Tahrir al-Sham the previous day, headed to Darat Izza near frontlines between Ahrar al-Sham and Tahrir al-Sham. However, before reaching the frontlines, the convoy was intercepted by Tahrir al-Sham, and was forced to withdraw. On the same day, a cease-fire agreement was reached between Ahrar al-Sham and Tahrir al-Sham, which involved the withdrawal of Ahrar al-Sham from the Bab al-Hawa border crossing and its control handed over to a civil council. Soon after, Tahrir al-Sham forces entered the towns of Maarrat Misrin and Ram Hamdan, after Ahrar al-Sham withdrew without fighting.

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and Turkey considered intervening to bring peace to the region. On 22 July, HTS captured the remaining parts of Idlib city not already under their control, with Ahrar evacuating the city, heading towards the southern parts of

; on the next day, both sides agreed to renew the ceasefire. Nevertheless, HTS and

Turkistan Islamic Party The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) is an Uyghur Islamic extremist organization founded in Pakistan by Hasan Mahsum. Its stated goals are to establish an Islamic state in Xinjiang and Central Asia. The Chinese government asserts that the T ...

fighters also evicted Ahrar al-Sham from the Khirbat al-Joz border crossing and clashed with it in Jisr al-Shughur's western countryside. A

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roug ...

explosion in Idlib city also killed between 13 and 52 people, including up to 50 HTS members and 2 civilians.

References

{{Syrian Civil War Idlib Governorate in the Syrian civil war July 2017 in Syria Military operations of the Syrian civil war in 2017 Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving Tahrir al-Sham Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving Ahrar al-Sham Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the Free Syrian Army Conflicts in 2017 Idlib in the Syrian civil war Aleppo Governorate in the Syrian civil war Hama Governorate in the Syrian civil war