ARA News
Aleppo – Abu Yousef al-Muhajir, a Syrian rebel leader and the official spokesman for the Islamic Movement of Ahrar al-Sham, said in an exclusive interview with ARA News on Monday that their group is committed to the Turkish-Russian brokered ceasefire in Syria.
“Regarding the recent ceasefire agreement in Syria, we as Ahrar al-Sham Movement had some conditions, and we agreed after those conditions were approved,” al-Muhajir said.
“However, we haven’t signed the recent Security Council resolution. We reject the exclusion of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham [previously known as Nusra Front] from the ceasefire agreement. We also disagreed with the resolution because it excluded the Ghouta al-Sharqiya District of Damascus from the truce. Those are the reasons why we haven’t signed the Security Council’s resolution,” he told ARA News.
“We, as Ahrar al-Sham, haven’t been invited to the Turkish-Russian negotiations about the ceasefire. But we attended the negotiations that followed the Turkish-Russian agreement, and we consider ourselves a part of this agreement,” al-Muhajir said.
Ahrar al-Sham is considered one of the strongest Syrian rebel groups. However, it has been criticised by other moderate factions for its Islamist agenda.
The senior official of Ahrar al-Sham further told ARA News that their fight for Aleppo is not over yet.
“Soon our fight in Aleppo will resume. God willing we’ll regain the points we’ve lost in Aleppo city. We won’t allow the regime to keep Aleppo. All rebel factions that left Aleppo will soon return to their positions,” al-Muhajir said.
“We withdrew from Aleppo to avoid further civilian losses, especially that the regime’s shelling on residential areas had increased. That’s why we retreated from Aleppo. But God willing soon we’ll be back in Aleppo, and we won’t let the regime enjoy control over the city,” he stressed.
“At the moment our operations are suspended due to the truce agreement. But if Russia would violate this agreement, we won’t hesitate to return to the battlefront. Russia has to monitor the commitment of the Assad regime and Iran to this truce,” he said.
“As for Damascus countryside, there are still clashes in the Barada Valley. If the regime will continue to violate the ceasefire, those clashes will intensify and reach the cities of Damascus, Aleppo, the coastal region, Hama and Homs,” the rebel official concluded.
Reporting by: Ahmed Shiwesh | Source: ARA News
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