Syria jihadist chief warns Idlib rebels against talks with regime

The head of Syria’s leading jihadist alliance warns opposition factions in Idlib against taking part in any talks with the regime toward a government takeover of the province.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) chief Abu Mohamed al-Jolani speaks after President Bashar Assad warned that he aimed to retake control of the northwestern province on the Turkish border.

The head of HTS, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, warns fellow jihadists and other opposition fighters in Idlib, Syria’s last rebel-held province, against handing over their arms in surrender deals with the regime.

“The weapons of the revolution and jihad… are a red line on which concessions are unacceptable, and they will never be put on the negotiations table,” he says.

— AFP