Reporting by Omar Sari
Syria Files (Damascus)- Well-informed sources told Syria Files that Hurras al-Din militants have been fleeing from the northwestern province of Idlib towards the Palestinian camps in Lebanon, paying large sums of money to reach their destination.
According to Syria Files sources, the escape journey from areas in Idlib and Latakia province towards Lebanon is targeting Palestinian refugee camps seeks to lessen the pressure of the powerful Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which showed more moderation and a will to accept the de-facto map of power through unspoken understandings with Turkey and Russia.
The HTS surviving plans have triggered many members to break away from it and form jihadist groups loyal to al-Qaida and Daesh.
In details, the journey begins by paying $2000 per person for smugglers to cross Syrian army checkpoints to reach the Lebanese border.
The militants used fake identity cards to conceal their true identity even from the smugglers, sources added.
The smuggling routes are through the Qalamoun ridges in the western countryside of Damascus, through the border towns of Rankous and Asal al-Ward, and then they cross into the Lebanese Maaraboun and Tafil villages.
The second road, it passes through the Hezbollah-held town of Al-Qusayr into the town of Hermel in the direction of Danniyeh district and towards the Al-Shouk camp, and then they move to the Palestinian camps near the city of Tripoli.
Hurras al-Din, the Daesh-aligned militant group has been under the HTS fire, following its defection and pledging allegiance to the Islamic State.
On October 27, 2019, Daesh chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was found and killed in a shelter in the home of Abu Mohammed Salama, a commander of Hurras al-Din group in the village of Barisha in Idlib province.
The smuggling routes are through the Qalamoun ridges in the western countryside of Damascus, through the border towns of Rankous and Asal al-Ward, and then they cross into the Lebanese Maaraboun and Tafil villages.
According to Syria Files sources, uprooting Hurras al-Din group from northern Syria is coordinated between Tahrir al-Sham and Abu Malik al-Talli, former aide of Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the HTS leader.
The HTS pushed al-Talli to penetrate extremist formations, which include a number of Arab and foreign immigrants who are directly affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Idlib is the last major stronghold for opposition rebels and jihadist groups in Syria. While Syrian troops and allied Russian and Iranian militias have captured large parts of Idlib.
