SITE Intel Group – HTS News in SyriaSeptember – September 19-25, 19-25, 2018 2018 SITE Intelligence Weekly Report HTS NEWS IN SYRIA IDLIB: Military Training Video EXECUTIONS: GOOGLE PLAY: Operations Against Ebaa Releases a News App ISIS and SAA siteintelroupom1 SITE Intel Group – HTS News in Syria – September 19-25, 2018 Table of Contents HIGHLIGHTS: SEPTEMBER 19-25, 2018 3 FEATURED ARTICLE 3 Post-Sochi Agreement 3 HTS OPERATIONS 4 Operations Against IS 4 Hama 4 Idlib 5 Operations Against SAA 5 HTS MEDIA 6 HTS Training Video 6 Maintaining Positions 6 Idlib 6 Ebaa News App 7 Friday Demonstrations 7 Airstrikes 7 The following materials are for information purposes only and may not be copied, reproduced, or transmitted without the explicit permission of SITE Intelligence Group and specific attribution to SITE Intelligence Group. 2 SITE Intel Group – HTS News in Syria – September 19-25, 2018 HIGHLIGHTS: SEPTEMBER 19-25, 2018 FEATURED ARTICLE: HTS digs into its positions following the Sochi Agreement. HTS OPERATIONS: Two operations against IS in Idlib and Hama; One operation against SAA in Idlib; Executions of IS and SAA elements. HTS MEDIA: Video of HTS military training in Idlib; Fortification and maintenance of HTS positions in Idlib; Ebaa releases a news app on Google Play; More demonstrations in Idlib; Airstrikes. FEATURED ARTICLE POST-SOCHI AGREEMENT HTS has yet to release an official statement following the Sochi Agreement reached between Turkey and Russia on Monday, September 17, which resulted in the creation of a buffer zone around Idlib. While HTS’ “Salvation Government” released a statement on September 19 it makes no mention of the Sochi agreement. Media output from Ebaa and Amjad, HTS’ media networks, have released several reports reinforcing Julani’s August 22 speech. However, they also offered no official statement from HTS about the September 17 agreement. The common thread for HTS media output following the Sochi Agreement has so far been the continuation of its media for the past months; highlighting fortifications of “military” positions and “popular support” from the people. • HTS’ “Salvation Government” released a statement on September 19 in Arabic with English, Russian, and Turkish translations. The “Message to the Global Public Opinion” reiterates Julani’s August Eid al-Adha speech including the reinforcement of HTS’ defenses and deception by the Syrian regime. The statement also incorporates the demonstrations that have occurred over the last three Fridays against the Syrian regime and Russia. Below is the original Arabic statement accompanied by the translations. THE ORIGINAL ARABIC STATEMENT AND THE RUSSIAN TRANSLATION. 3 SITE Intel Group – HTS News in Syria – September 19-25, 2018 THE TURKISH AND ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS. • Ebaa published statements and a video criticizing the Sochi Agreement. In several reports, the network likened the agreement to the one in Srebrenica in the 1990s “where a massacre took thousands of Muslim lives, mostly men, after disarmament.” Ebaa also criticized Turkey’s role in the agreement stating that “it was trying to benefit as much as possible.” In a report on September 19, Ebaa accused the terms of the Sochi Agreement of aiming to “weaken the mujahideen and disarm them.” HTS OPERATIONS HTS continued its operations in Hama and Idlib against “reconciliation” with the Syrian regime and IS, whom it calls the “Baghdadi gang.” There were two operations against IS and one against SAA. HTS’ “security apparatus” held a public execution of 5 IS operatives and 1 SAA element. OPERATIONS AGAINST IS HAMA • .On September 22, HTS’ “security apparatus” arrested two individuals they claim to be IS elements in the Hama area; Abu Ahmed al-Muhajir, the “deputy governor” of the IS Hama Province and Abu Hajar al-Hamawi, the “commander” of the “Fifth Battalion” which follows the Hama Province. ABU AHMED AL-MUHAJIR, THE “DEPUTY GOVERNOR” OF IS’ ABU HAJAR AL-HAMAWI, THE “COMMANDER” OF THE “FIFTH HAMA PROVINCE. BATTALION.” 4 HTS perationsSITE Intel Group ainst – HTS News inIS Syria an – September S 19-25, 2018 S A’zaz SITEINTELGROUP.COM A-B TuRKEY ALEPPO A-S Mediterranean x2 Sea Aleppo IDLIB Idlib Latakia M -N LATAKIA Jableh SYRIAN FORCES Hama REBEL FORCES LIGHT CLASH HAMA Homs Hama: HTS claimed the arrest of two high ranking IS elements in the Hama area. MAYADIN IDLIB: 5 IS elements and one SAA element were executed followingASHARAH two operations in the idlib area. Source of faction location: Liveuamap Syria5 SITE Intel Group – HTS News in Syria – September 19-25, 2018 IDLIB • ..HTS’ “security apparatus” executed 5 IS elements for “crimes they committed against Muslims in general and the mujahideen in particular.” HTS claimed the families of the “martyrs” attended the executions. Ebaa released the names of the executed IS members as well as their confessions to the following crimes: • Muhammad Bahaa: Confessed to the killing of two HTS fighters at a checkpoint in Aleppo and gave the location of a weapons warehouse, the contents of which were later confiscated by HTS. • Muhammad al-Hajji: Confessed to killing HTS Elite Forces in Aleppo and the killing of “Shaykh” Abu Ahmed Sharukh and “brother” Abu Omar al-Sufrani. • Muhammad Jassem: Confessed to being an “official” of the “secret Atarib” and assisting in the above crimes. • Abd al-Aziz: Also confessed to being an “official” of the “secret Atarib” as well as planting and carrying out bombings. • Muhammad Saleh al-Aziz: Confessed to being a member of the “secret Atarib” and planting and carrying out bombings. • .The 5 IS elements were executed along with a Syrian regime agent on September 20 in the town of Tell Mannas, south of Idlib. Below are the images Ebaa published of the executions. OPERATIONS AGAINST SAA • .In a report from Ebaa on September 20, HTS claimed the arrest of Fawaz Adhab al-Obeid, an alleged militia agent for the Syrian regime. After interrogation, al-Obeid confessed to dealing with Ahmed Darwish, and Syrian militia official in the village of Abu Dali, east of Hama. HTS executed al-Obeid along with the five IS elements on Thursday, September 20. 6 SITE Intel Group – HTS News in Syria – September 19-25, 2018 HTS MEDIA Ebaa publications this week continued their usual pattern of fortifications of HTS’ defenses with a focus on Idlib, demonstrations against the regime, and claims of support from the local population. The HTS’ news outlet also released an app on Google Play although it lasted less than a day on the platform. Amjad Media, HTS’ visual arm, released a video for the first time since August 7, 2018. HTS TRAINING VIDEO • On Friday, September 21, Amjad Media, a media outlet for HTS, released a video titled “Because We Are Ready” depicting fighters fortifying their positions, participating in military exercises, and praying. The video does not give a precise location, but it most likely is filmed in the Idlib area. MAINTAINING POSITIONS • On September 20, Ebaa posted pictures of HTS fighters fortifying positions against the Syrian regime, without disclosing a location. IDLIB • .Staff from HTS’ “Salvation Government” were reported participating in the fortifications of HTS’ “military” positions in the eastern Idlib countryside. 7 SITE Intel Group – HTS News in Syria – September 19-25, 2018 EBAA NEWS APP • On Tuesday, September 18, Ebaa released an app on Google Play. The app was available on the platform for less than 24 hours before being taken down on Wednesday night. On Thursday, September 20, Ebaa claimed the app was downloaded more than 1600 times before its removal from Google Play. The app is still available for download with a link shared by Ebaa. EBAA’S ADVERTISEMENT FOR ITS NEWS APP ON GOOGLE PLAY. FRIDAY DEMONSTRATIONS • For the fourth week in a row, on September 21, “mass demonstrations” took place after Friday prayers in the Idlib area. Again, Ebaa reported that the demonstrations were in favor of the “mujahideen” and the “continuation of the revolution.” • Demonstrations took place in: Al-Karama refugee camp, Idlib, Kansafra, al-Dana, Jisr al-Shughur, Kafr Oweid, Kafr Nabl, Armanaz, Khan Shaykhun, Maar Tahroma, Saraqib, Hizano, Haritan, Harem, Binnish, Ariha, al-Jinnah, and al-Hamdaniya District of Aleppo. IDLIB: WOMEN AND YOUNG GIRLS PROTESTING AGAINST THE KAFR OWEID: PROTESTERS IN FAVOR OF “CONTINUING THE SYRIAN REGIME. REVOLUTION.” AIRSTRIKES • Ebaa reported the Syrian regime airstrikes in the regions surrounding Hama and Aleppo. Towns reported being targeted; Kafr Hamrah, al-Janabarah, al-Jaysat, al-Lataminah, Tel Othman, and Maarkaba. 8 SITE Intel Group – HTS News in Syria – September 19-25, 2018 SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES SITE’s database-driven web portal is an unmatched source of thousands of messages and online artifacts spanning a decade’s worth of terrorist and extremist activity. Our comprehensive database provides down-to-the-minute reports, analyses, and translations of extremist communications, multimedia, and propaganda. Threats monitored by SITE span those of jihadists, hackers, and far-right/far-left movements among others. SITE’s interactive and easily navigable database allows intelligence analysts to research the specifics of an event (weapons used, group leaders, statements, claims of attack, etc.), or zoom out to the larger picture at hand (trends, campaigns, recurring targets, growing opposition movements, etc.). 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