HTS withdraws from parts of Syria's Afrin but keeps allied forces in place

A hardline Islamist militia withdrew some of its forces Wednesday and Thursday from the northwest Syrian city of Afrin and its surrounding areas - but allied groups remain in the area, military sources have told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site.

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) withdrew some of its troops from the Afrin area after Turkey, which backs the "Syrian National Army (SNA)" militia umbrella group, imposed a deadline on the group to do so, sources from the SNA's Third Corps told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Some HTS fighters and military police remain in Afrin as part of a joint administration agreement reached last week, the sources said.

Also remaining in place are Turkish-backed factions that have fought alongside the HTS, including the Suleiman Shah Division, the Hamza Division, and Ahrar al-Sham.

HTS has fought deadly clashes with SNA fighters in recent weeks after HTS overran the city of Afrin and surrounding areas. At least 58 people were killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

The warring parties agreed to a preliminary truce last week that included HTS withdrawals from the area - but clashes soon resumed between the two groups, with HTS going back on the offensive to take areas between the cities of Afrin and Azaz.

Fighting has died down since Turkey demanded HTS withdrawals, the SNA sources said.

The Syrian rebels are fragmented into a myriad of different groups, with HTS, a hardline Islamist group previously affiliated to Al-Qaeda, dominating most of Idlib province, while Turkish-backed groups control Azaz, Al-Bab and other cities near the Syrian-Turkish border.

Both the HTS and the SNA have been accused of human rights abuses in northern Syria, including indiscriminate shelling and kidnappings.