Divide festering in HTS in Syria as chief arrests second-in-command
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Sources tell Al Mayadeen that the second-in-command in Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham was arrested at the directions of group leader Abu Mohammad Al-Julani.
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An Al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham terrorist stands in front of a destroyed house in Atareb, Syria, Feb. 12, 2023 (AP)
The Second-in-Command of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham organization (HTS) was arrested on Tuesday at the direction of its commander, Abu Mohammad Al-Julani, local sources told Al Mayadeen, highlighting the ongoing stark division within the group.
Maysar Ali Mussa Abdullah Al-Jabouri, also known as Abu Maria Al-Qahtani, was the second-in-command of the terror group before he was arrested Tuesday. He is an Iraqi national who used to head the Shura council of Al-Nusra Front before it changed its name to HTS.
Sources have reported that the arrest took place on Tuesday, directly ordered by the group's leader, Al-Julani. This was allegedly prompted by the results of investigations linked to espionage and questioning of spies previously detained on charges of dealings with Russia and the international coalition.
It is reported that Al-Qahtani has been held in prison in the city of Harim. Subsequently, he was transferred to a location for house arrest within one of the organization's secure facilities under maximum security at the request of his close friend and an HTS judge, Mazhar Al-Wais.
Al-Qahtani's arrest has caused a state of disturbance and division within the organization. Concerns are festering among many leaders who oppose Al-Julani's policies, as they fear similar arrests under the pretext of working for or with the coalition.
Among the leaders likely to share a fate similar to Al-Qahtani's is Jihad Issa Al-Sheikh, who has been in the scope over an investigation by the former Al-Nusra Front Emir of Edlib, Moayyad Al-Badawi, who is a close associate of Al-Julani's. Al-Sheikh is known for overseeing security breaches in areas under the so-called National Army north of Aleppo.
Al-Qahtani's placement under house arrest and the request to do so was done to avoid exacerbating divisions within the organization while a definitive fate is found for Al-Qahtani. This solution could include either solitary confinement or deportation to Turkey until the conclusion of the investigations.
One former Al-Nusra Front senior official said on X that had Abu Maria been involved in espionage operations, he would have fled months ago. "What is happening today is internal purges taking place beyond Al-Julani's control. This led to elements under Abu Maria's command giving what were likely false statements in order to set him up."
An Al Mayadeen correspondent reported in July that intelligence indicates that Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham has so far detained 300 of its members, including top leaders.
As he faces internal resistance, Al-Julani also has people protesting against him and his militants in Idlib and the Aleppo countryside.
This comes in response to the ongoing violations by HTS including killings, arbitrary arrests, security pursuits, lootings, and home raids.
Meanwhile, HTS terrorists dispersed several demonstrations that were held near the town of al-Dana, north of Idlib.
Terrorists used excessive force and opened fire at protestors in their attempt to disperse them, but no injuries were reported.
It is worth noting that a huge demonstration was held in Sarmada, a town north of Idlib, during which people from the Hama governorate staged a sit-in at the town's roundabout to demand the release of the governorate's notables who were arrested by HTS without any justification. The demonstration was promptly dispersed and activists were arrested and their equipment damaged.
Many activists demanded that the protests intensify in the areas under Al-Julani's control so that the world could see the reality of the West-backed terrorist group, which is clamping down on civilians and drowning them in poverty and hunger.
