Over 300 rebels were killed in the infighting, most of whom were executed Jeish Al-Nasr prisoners of war. Also three convoys belonging to the Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at terrorists were reportedly ambushed near Khan Sheikhoun.
Faced with the prospects of a protracted siege like Kafraya and Foua’a, Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at negotiated with Liwa al-Aqsa offering a safe exit towards ISIL-held areas East of Hama.
In return, Liwa al-Aqsa would release its Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at prisoners and relinquish its heavy weapons and vehicles.
Prior to the evacuation of the last batch of al-Aqsa militants, the group burnt all its heavy equipment to spite its rival rebels. The evacuation reportedly took place along the Syrian army-controlled Ithriya Highway where a number of convoys belonging to the terror group were ambushed by government troops.
Liwa al-Aqsa is estimated to number between a thousand and two-thousand men with some unconfirmed reports suggesting some 2,100 fighters joining the ISIL in Raqqa.
The ISIL will likely use its much needed manpower boost to counterattack the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Raqqa or the Syrian army in West of Palmyra or even bolster their cracking defenses around Deir Hafer in Eastern Aleppo.
Late in January, Al-Nusra Front (recently renamed to Fatah al-Sham Front) and several militant groups declared forming a new coalition under the name of Tahrir Al-Sham Hay’at to narrow down widening rifts amongst their commanders and members.
The Al-Nusra Front, Nouralddeen al-Zinki Movement, Jeish al-Sonah, Jabhat Ansaraldeen and Liwa al-Haq announced that they would act under a united coalition named the Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at.
The five merged terrorist groups act under the command of Abu Jaber Hashem al-Sheikh, who was one of the commanders of Ahrar al-Sham. The new coalition led by al-Sheikh is now fighting against Ahrar al-Sham, a rival terrorist group operating mainly in Northwestern Syria.
Al-Sheikh resigned from his post in Ahrar al-Sham after he was appointed as the commander of Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at.
A number of Ahrar al-Sham’s commanders, including the groups’ spokesman Abu Yusuf al-Mohajer, Hesam Salameh and Abu al-Fatah al-Farqali Mesri also joined the new coalition.
Terrorist groups’ websites claimed that Al-Nusra Commander Abu Mohammad al-Joulani will be the top commander of Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at.
Ahrar al-Sham rejected its affiliation to the new coalition, but websites close to the terrorist groups have disclosed that Ahrar al-Sham, Faylaq al-Sham, Jeish al-Izzah, Turkistani party and Liwa al-Tamkin will soon start a new front called Tahrir al-Syria Front.
Nusra terrorists have been attacking positions of other terrorist rivals across Northwestern Syria.
