Normalisation ties between Erdogan-Assad: Al-Nusra Front now in Afrin
October 15, 2022, 3:57 pm

Normalisation ties between Erdogan-Assad: Al-Nusra Front now in Afrin

Zara Saleh1

Last Thursday, the extremist group of Al-Nusra Front, well-known as "Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham", the Syrian branch of Al-Qaida, took control over the occupied Kurdish city of Afrin. The Kurdish areas of Afrin were occupied by Turkey and the Syrian opposition groups that were backed by Turkey since 2018. According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which controls most of the Idlib province, began clashes with Turkish-backed jihadist Faylaq Al-Sham (Al-Jabha Al-Shamia) in Afrin after these groups withdrew from the city.

After the HTS group have taken over the northwest of Syria, many civilians are afraid of the increase in abuses and violations, and the displacement began from the areas that had been taken over by the jihadist of HTS. Arguably, the plan to hand over Afrin to Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham after the withdrawal of the Syrian National Army (SNA) backed by Turkey, has not been a sudden plan of a fight between the militia group of HTS and SNA.

Such has been expected recently after the Russian plan to normalise the relationship between Ankara and Damascus. On the other hand, Turkish President Erdogan has agreed with the Russian plan following his failure to launch a new military operation against the Syrian Kurds and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Added to that, both countries, the US and Russia, have refused to give a green light to Turkey to begin new operations against Kurds that could affect the stability of the region and the military plan against ISIS. After he failed to win Putin’s blessing, Erdogan appeared to reach for diplomacy with Syria.

Following their long-term security level negotiations, Ankara and Damascus have agreed with Moscow's plan of normalisation of their official relationship as this new U-turn would definitely fulfil their agendas and interests. On the one hand, Erdogan is facing new elections next year, in which the anti-refugee campaign led by his opponents of the Turkish opposition and Erdogan wants to retake this card from them through his plan, to send a million Syrian refugees back to Syria. Secondly, Erdogan is seeking Assad's regime's support to deal with the Syrian Democratic Forces considers as a PKK-affiliates group in Syria. On the other hand, Assad has approached to retake control over the Idlib province, which now is under Turkey and HTS control, and eventually Assad is seeking to regain control over all Syrian territories including Afrin. Furthermore, the Syrian regime is sharing the same "Kurdish Phobia" with Turkey, where they desire to take over the areas that are controlled by the SDF. In fact, both regimes are pleased that all north and northeast Syrian borders are not under Kurdish control.

Consequently, handing over Afrin to HTS, a radical and extremist group that is already on the terrorist list, would be the first step of the Russian plan for normalisation ties between Erdogan and Assad. Eventually, the terrorist group of HTS, which is in fact an Al-Nusra Front or Al-Qaida, and similar to ISIS as well, will be an easy target for Russia and the international coalition as well.

BY: Zara Saleh

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”