SITE Intel Group – HTS News in SyriaSeptember – September 12-18, 12-18, 2018 2018 SITE Intelligence Weekly Report HTS ES I SRI

DONATION CAMPAIGN: , : HTS Raises Money Operation Against IS for “Mujahideen”

ELITE FORCES: Fighters Graduate in Idlib

siteintelroupom1 SITE Intel Group – HTS News in – September 12-18, 2018

Table of Contents HIGHLIGHTS: September 12-18, 2018 3

FEATURED ARTICLE 3 HTS Donation Campaign 3

HTS OPERATIONS 4 HTS Operations Against IS 4 Idlib 4

HTS MEDIA 5 Graduation of HTS Fighters 5 HTS-FNL Agreement 5 HTS Command Meeting 6 Maintaining Positions 6 6 Idlib 6 Demonstrations 7 Airstrikes 8

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2 SITE Intel Group – HTS News in Syria – September 12-18, 2018

HIGHLIGHTS: SEPTEMBER 12-18, 2018

FEATURED ARTICLE: HTS donation campaign in Idlib.

HTS OPERATIONS: An operation against IS in eastern Idlib, four hostages freed.

HTS MEDIA: Graduation of fighters in Idlib; HTS-FLN agreement; Command meeting; Maintenance of positions in Aleppo and Idlib; Friday protests in Idlib area.

FEATURED ARTICLE

HTS DONATION CAMPAIGN

The past month, videos and reports of a “popular campaign to support the al-Murabatayn” dominated HTS Media. These have included local citizens participating in the fortification of HTS “military” points and Friday “mass demonstrations.” The reports present HTS and its “Salvation Government” as being supported by the local population. This week HTS continued the trend with similar reports including a donation campaign. Both the “Salvation Government” and HTS published reports of the “popular support” of the donation drive on September 14 and 15 respectively. • On September 15, Ebaa published a video of HTS’ “Office of Advocacy and Guidance” launch of a donation campaign “for the mujahideen and the al-murabatayn.” Donations were collected in a mosque in , a town south of Idlib. The video shows the demonstrations from Friday and the fortification of HTS positions with the claim of “popular support” from the residents of the region and a “large turnout of people” for the donation campaign.

COUNTING OF MONETARY DONATIONS. (PUBLISHED SEPT. 15) CHILDREN SHOWN DONATING MONEY. (PUBLISHED SEPT. 15)

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• On September 14, HTS’ “Salvation Government” published donation statistics from its “popular campaign of support.” HTS claimed a total of 3,339,785 SYP was donated, the equivalent of 6,485 USD. INFOGRAPHIC ENGLISH TRANSLATION: Statistics of Some Villages and Towns Within the Popular Campaign to Support al- Murabatain

The Messenger of Allah, Peace Be Upon Him, said, “He who equips a Ghazi (fighter) in the way of Allah is as if he has taken part in the fighting himself; and he who looks after the dependants of a Ghazi in his absence, is as if he has taken part in the fighting himself.”

3,339,785 SYP

al-Dana: 2,493,370 Tel al-Karama: 217, 600 : 567,755 : 148,000 : 159,050 Ibbin: 94,160 Al-Anwar: 131,150 Irhab: 38,450 : 43,500 Al-Touama: 51,000 : 67,350 Kafr Karmin: 71,200 : 186,200

HTS OPERATIONS

This week HTS claimed only one operation against IS and no operations against the SAA; this is down from a total of five claimed operations last week and four operations the week prior.

HTS OPERATIONS AGAINST IS

IDLIB • On September 12, HTS claimed a raid against IS in the village of Samkeh in the countryside of eastern Idlib. During the operation, they claimed they released four hostages in good health who were then handed over to their families. The raid came two days after another operation, also in the Idlib area, on September 10, in which HTS claimed to have freed another IS hostage.

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HTS MEDIA

From September 11-18 Ebaa reported the graduation of a new group of fighters, an agreement between HTS and the FNL, and an HTS command meeting. There were continued fortifications of HTS positions in the Aleppo and Idlib areas as well as Friday protests for the third week in a row. Ebaa publications continued their focus on the “popular support” for HTS fighters. In a deviation from the previous two weeks, Ebaa only reported one airstrike.

GRADUATION OF HTS FIGHTERS • Ebaa posted a video reporting the graduation of HTS Elite Forces in the northern Idlib countryside on September 18. The video shows fighters marching in formation, taking part in drills, and listening to speeches.

THE HTS “GRADUATES” ARE SEEN MARCHING IN FORMATION WITH HTS BADGES ON THEIR ARMS. (PUBLISHED SEPT. 18)

THE HTS “GRADUATES” TAKING PART IN DRILLS. (PUBLISHED SEPT. 18)

HTS-FNL AGREEMENT • On September 16, Ebaa reported representatives from HTS and the National Liberation Front (FNL) met in Jabal Zawiya, south of Idlib, and signed an agreement resolving “outstanding problems between them.” The deal includes the release of respective detainees and the formation of a committee to maintain constant contact between the groups to resolve problems between them.

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HTS COMMAND MEETING • HTS officials from its “military operations room” held a meeting with the people of in the eastern countryside of Idlib. Ebaa and the “Salvation Government” both published pictures of the meeting; Ebaa blurred the faces of two individuals.

MAINTAINING POSITIONS

ALEPPO • On September 12, Ebaa posted photos of a “military” position in the northern Aleppo countryside. Below fighters can be seen fortifying their positions.

IDLIB • Ebaa published a series of photo reports on September 13 of HTS positions on the eastern outskirts of Idlib. Fighters can be seen with their weapons and surveying their surroundings. Residents are depicted helping with the fortification of HTS positions.

IDLIB: “MUJAHIDEEN LIFE” AT HTS “STEADFAST” POINTS. (PUBLISHED SEPT. 13) 6 SITE Intel Group – HTS News in Syria – September 12-18, 2018

IDLIB: RESIDENTS HELPING IN THE “REHABILITATION AND FORTIFICATION” OF HTS POSITIONS. (PUBLISHED SEPT. 13)

ABU AL-DUHUR, IDLIB: HTS FIGHTERS AT THEIR POSTS. (PUBLISHED SEPT. 13) • On September 15, Ebaa posted further photos depicting HTS fighters fortifying their positions on the eastern outskirts of the Idlib countryside.

DEMONSTRATIONS

• For the third week in a row, towns in the Idlib area held a series of coordinated protests after Friday prayers. Ebaa posted photos and videos, reporting the demonstrations were in favor of the “overthrow of the regime” and the “continuation of jihad and revolution.”

• Towns where Ebaa reported protests: • Idlib:. Idlib proper, , , Maar Tahroma, , the border camps, , Saraqib, Jisr al-Shughur, , , Maarrat al-Nu’man, Qurqania, Harem, , and al-Dana. • .Aleppo:. , Kafr Hamrah, Anadan, Hayyan, Jop Kass, and al-Abzmo.

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PROTESTORS AT A BORDER CAMP. (PUBLISHED SEPT. 14) JISR AL-SHUGHUR: PROTESTORS IN A BOMBED OUT BUILDING. (PUBLISHED SEPT. 14)

SALQIN: CHILDREN HOLDING A GRAPHIC PROTEST SIGN SARAQIB: MAN HOLDING A SIGN WITH RUSSIAN AND ENGLISH SAYING “RUSSIA KILLS CHILDREN IN SYRIA, STOP THE TRANSLATION. (PUBLISHED SEPT. 14) KILLING OF CHILDREN.” (PUBLISHED SEPT. 14)

IDLIB: EBAA VIDEO SHOWS FIGHTERS FROM THE RED BANDS PARTICIPATING IN A DEMONSTRATION. (PUBLISHED SEPT. 14)

AIRSTRIKES

• During the week of September 12-18, Ebaa reported only one airstrike on the town of al-Hawiz in the al-Ghab Plain west of ; this follows a series of heavy bombing by the Syrian and Russian Air Forces especially on September 4,7, and 8.

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