[ad_1]
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A jihadist faction in northwestern Syria's Idlib region has rejected a Turkish-Russian deal that forces "radical" insurgents to withdraw from a demilitarized zone and urges rebels to launch new military operations.
FILE PHOTO: A Nusra Front member climbs onto a pole where a Nusra flag rises in the city of Ariha, in the Syrian province of Idlib, May 29, 2015. REUTERS / Khalil Ashawi / File Photo
While the Huras al-Din faction is not the leading Islamist militant group of Idlib, its statement does point to objections likely to complicate the implementation of the agreement reached the last week by Russia and Turkey.
The most powerful jihadist group in the north-west, Tahrir al-Sham, is yet to decide on the accord, under which insurgents must leave the demilitarized zone by 15 October.
Tahrir Al Sham is a coalition of Islamist groups dominated by the faction formerly known as Front Nusra, which was an official branch of the Al Qaeda network until 2016. The position of Tahrir Al-Sham will be critical.
An alliance of allied rebel groups in Turkey, the National Front for Liberation, declared its "full cooperation" with the Turkish effort, but also ruled out disarmament or cession of territory.
The Huras al-Din group was formed earlier this year by fighters who broke away from Tahrir al-Sham and the Nusra Front when it broke with Al Qaeda. It includes foreign activists.
The group said the agreement was part of a plan to "eliminate the jihadist project" in the Levant.
"We advise our brothers mujahideen in this decisive and dangerous phase … to begin military operations against the enemies of religion to thwart their plans," said the statement released Saturday.
The demilitarized zone approved by Turkey and Russia will have a depth of 15 to 20 km (10 to 12 miles) and will run along the line of contact between rebel and government fighters. It will be watched by Turkish and Russian forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said all heavy weapons, mortars, tanks and rocket systems of the opposition should be removed from the area by October 10.
Nearly 3 million people live in Idlib, nearly half of whom are Syrians displaced by the war from other parts of Syria, and the United Nations warned that an offensive would provoke a humanitarian catastrophe.
Written by Tom Perry; Editing by Mark Heinrich
