Syrian Kurdish party calls for expulsion of HTS from Afrin
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdish National Council (KNC) on Friday called for the expulsion of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group formerly known as al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, from Afrin.
The HTS managed to enter Afrin city on Thursday for the first time amidst infighting between different Turkish-backed factions.
Read More: HTS enters Afrin city for first time: SOHR
The KNC said that the HTS was backed by some factions from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), such as the Hamza Dvision and the Sulaiman Shah faction.
The KNC added that the HTS controlling the centre of Afrin, “increased panic among people of the area causing more damage to the civilians.”
Therefore, the Kurdish National Council (KNC) called on the international community, and Turkey, to stop the fighting and expel armed factions from the cities, towns and villages, and the expulsion of HTS from Afrin, and ensure the safe return of displaced people to their homes.
Read More: Turkish army deploys to Afrin: SOHR
On Friday, there were reports that the Turkish army redeployed forces to Afrin. Moreover, there were reports that a ceasefire deal was reached between the 3rd Corps and the HTS. Although on Friday evening, clashes still continued in the Kafr Janna village.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) on Saturday morning reported that there was a cautious calm in Afrin and other areas under Turkish control.