Fidan Admits Intelligence Cooperation with "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" in Syria

Fidan Admits Intelligence Cooperation with "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" in Syria
Ankara attempts to market new image of HTS, ignoring its crimes against civilians and ongoing violations in Syria
December 21, 2024, 7:50 pm

الجولاني \ تعبيرية

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made controversial statements regarding Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, claiming his country has not detected any terrorist activities by the organization over the past ten years, adding: "This is not just our assessment, but also what Western intelligence agencies have concluded".

In a press interview on Saturday, Fidan addressed the reason for the organization's continued inclusion on Turkish terrorism lists, justifying it as linked to UN decisions and pointing to Ankara's commitment to Security Council resolutions, arguing that "there is now a different situation where the legal dimension conflicts with the practical dimension."

Fidan repeated claims about the organization's role in fighting other terrorist organizations, claiming that HTS "showed good cooperation especially in exchanging intelligence information related to fighting ISIS, and contributed significantly in this regard," justifying previously hiding this information "due to the sensitivity of the matter."

The Turkish minister continued: "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham has been cooperating with Turkey for years in gathering intelligence information about organizations linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda."

Regarding cooperation on specific operations like eliminating former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Fidan acknowledged the organization's cooperation with Ankara in such operations as well, according to Anadolu Agency.

Notably, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, is classified as a terrorist organization by the UN Security Council and many countries, and continues to commit violations against civilians in its control areas in northern Syria, imposing hardline rule on local residents.

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