Inter-Opposition Clashes Resume in Northwest Syria after Collapse of Truce

Smoke rises in the horizon as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group's advance towards Syrian opposition-held areas in the northern Aleppo province on October 17, 2022. (AFP)
Smoke rises in the horizon as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group's advance towards Syrian opposition-held areas in the northern Aleppo province on October 17, 2022. (AFP)
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Inter-Opposition Clashes Resume in Northwest Syria after Collapse of Truce

Smoke rises in the horizon as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group's advance towards Syrian opposition-held areas in the northern Aleppo province on October 17, 2022. (AFP)
Smoke rises in the horizon as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group's advance towards Syrian opposition-held areas in the northern Aleppo province on October 17, 2022. (AFP)

Rival Syrian opposition groups in northwestern Syria resumed heavy clashes a day after a fragile truce ended five days of bloody fighting in the last remaining opposition enclave, residents and opposition factions said on Monday.

The main extremist opposition group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), listed as terrorists by the United States, Türkiye and others, forced factions from the Türkiye-backed opposition National Army to accept a peace deal on Saturday that expanded its grip.

Both sides traded accusations that they had reneged on provisions of the Türkiye-brokered deal, which pulls fighters from Afrin and other cities back to their respective frontlines and paves the way for a unified civilian administration.

Intense fighting raged near rugged terrain around Kafr Jana village in northern Aleppo where both sides sent reinforcements. Residents fear the extremist group seeks to capture the strategic border city of Azaz, the administrative center of the mainstream Turkish-backed opposition government.

A commander in a mainstream faction that is staying on the sidelines who requested anonymity said the HTS was approaching the main Bab al Salamah border crossing with Türkiye, northwest of Azaz.

Infighting has weakened the Syrian opposition since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011. Their turf wars have helped Assad and his allies recover significant ground.

Western intelligence sources and opposition fighters say HTS has long sought a wider economic and security role in areas in northern Syria beyond its stronghold in the heavily populated city of Idlib.

They say the goal of HTS leader Mohammad al Golani was to expand to other areas the civilian administration that now efficiently runs Idlib region's public services in an attempt to shed the militant image of the group, a former offshoot of the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda.

"We are working for a project that serves everyone and the goals of the revolution that unites the liberated areas in one army and a joint administration that everyone participates in, civilians and areas," a senior HTS source told Reuters.



Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
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Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil, Reuters reported.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to compensate for having produced more than its agreed volume. OPEC counts oil flows from Kurdistan as part of Iraq's quota.

In a ruling issued in 2022, Iraq's federal court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude oil supplies.

The ministry said the KRG’s failure to comply with the law has hurt both oil exports and public revenue, forcing Baghdad to cut output from other fields to meet OPEC quotas.

The ministry added that it had urged the KRG to hand over crude produced from its fields, warning that failure to do so could result in significant financial losses and harm the country’s international reputation and oil commitments.

Negotiations to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline, which once handled about 0.5% of global oil supply, have stalled over payment terms and contract details.