Secret military cooperation between Ukraine and "Tahrir al-Sham".. targeting Russian forces

A Syrian military expert has revealed the recent arrival of about 250 fighters and military experts from the "Ukrainian Special Forces" to Syria, in a notable development amidst escalating tensions in the region amid the Israeli conflict with Hezbollah.

Military expert Kamal Al-Jafa told "Erem News" that he confirmed the infiltration of Ukrainian military personnel into areas controlled by the terrorist-classified "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham". Their mission revolves around training "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" on manufacturing drones and participating in attacks against Russian and Syrian forces.

The Ukrainian experts were distributed to industrial facilities and multiple sites in Idlib city and the outskirts of Jisr al-Shughur to manufacture drones.

Al-Jafa indicated that the Ukrainian military intelligence agency, according to the expert, has laid plans to launch covert attacks on Russian forces in Syria with secret support from "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" led by "Abu Muhammad al-Jolani". Its offensive force consists of Chechens, Uzbeks, and Turkestani, where both parties share a strong hostility towards Russia.

Al-Jafa pointed out that "opening a new battle front - thousands of miles away from the battlefield in Ukraine - is designed to inflict losses on Russia, and perhaps force Moscow to redeploy its military resources from Ukraine, according to Ukrainian estimates."

The "Kyiv Post" newspaper had previously reported that Ukrainian intelligence forces carried out an attack on a Russian military base in Syria on the morning of Sunday, September 15. The newspaper, which published exclusive footage, explained that the operation took place in the southeastern suburbs of Aleppo city.

The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine revealed that the targeted base was used by Russian forces to manufacture and test attack drones, in addition to producing "camouflaged explosive devices" whose warheads are stored on site.

In the exclusive video broadcast by "Kyiv Post", captured by an intelligence officer, the flag of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine appears behind an earthen barrier near a garage used as a Russian base. Shortly after, an explosion occurs in the Russian facility, followed by ammunition explosions.

In late July, the newspaper claimed it "received several exclusive videos and photos showing the continuation of the special operation of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine units to destroy Russian forces in Syria."

According to sources in the special service, the Ukrainian intelligence group "Khimik" carried out another complex attack on Russian forces in Syria in late July 2024. This time, the attack targeted Russian military equipment at Kweires Airport east of Aleppo.

In June, the newspaper presented exclusive footage of Ukrainian special forces attacking enemy checkpoints, strongholds, military patrols, and convoys of military equipment in the Golan Heights in Syria.

It indicated that Syrian militants, supported by Ukrainian fighters, have launched several strikes since the beginning of the year against Russian military facilities under the control of the Russian armed forces in Syria.

Russian media recently accused the Ukrainian government of supplying a group of drones to "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" in Idlib, northwestern Syria, in exchange for sending elements from the organization to Ukraine to fight against Russia.

The Russian "Novosti" agency reported that "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" received drones from the Ukrainian side as part of a deal that includes sending experienced fighters and leaders from within the organization to Ukraine.

The agency added that Kyiv asked experienced "militant" leaders, especially those of Chechen and Uyghur origins, to form armed groups to participate in fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against Russia.

For its part, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights pointed to the migration of foreign fighters from terrorist groups, from Idlib in northern Syria towards Ukraine to fight the Russian army there. It said that the majority of those moving to Eastern Europe are fighters from Chechen and Caucasian battalions and fighters from Uzbeks and Tajiks, along with a group of Albanian fighters.

The observatory added that the number of departures exceeded 170 people who left Syrian territories in batches since October 2023, all of them from the Caucasus and Chechens. They headed towards one of the European countries based on pressure and request from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and from there to Ukraine to fight Russian forces.

Levant-Erem News