Syria’s Tahrir al-Sham terror group signaled on Sunday it would abide by the terms of a Russian-Turkish deal to prevent a Syrian government offensive on the terrorist-held Idlib just one day before a critical deadline.
Tahrir al-Sham, a terrorist alliance spearheaded by al-Qaeda’s former Syrian affiliate previously known as the Nusra Front, said it had adopted its stance after taking time for “consultation”, Reuters news agency reported.
Although it did not explicitly say it would abide by the deal, it said it would “seek to provide security for people in the area it controls.”
“We value the efforts of all those striving — at home and abroad — to protect the liberated area and prevent its invasion and the perpetration of massacres in it,” the terrorist group said in a statement, published via social media.
“But we warn at the same time against the trickery of the Russian occupier or having faith in its intentions,” the statement added.
Another major militant force in Idlib, the Turkey-backed National Liberation Front, announced its acceptance of the deal, Reuters reports.
Earlier on September 17, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have agreed to set up a demilitarized zone between Idlib and Syrian government troops.
The deal aimed to prevent a military offensive targeting militants in their latest stronghold.
Source: Agencies
