Members of the former al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, now called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, gesture as they cheer in the northwestern city of Ariha, after a coalition of insurgent groups seized the area in Idlib province on 29 May 2015 ( Reuters )
Richard Hall, The Independent: How a ‘smarter’ Islamic state is quietly taking over swathes of Syria after Isis defeat
Takeover of a university the latest power grab by al-Qaeda offshoot, which is building a caliphate of its own.
The Isis caliphate is no more. Four years after its fighters captured large swathes of Iraq and Syria and declared its intention to spread jihad around the world, the terror group no longer holds any territory.
But as one extremist Islamic state falls, another one endures. Over the past few years, a group that was formerly part of al-Qaeda has cemented its power in northern Syria and now rules over some 3 million people.
After forcing out rival rebel groups in Idlib earlier this year, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has imposed its control over all aspects of life in the province. Now, a university with more than 6,000 students has become the battleground between in its quest for dominance.
“They came when we were in the middle of exams and said they would be taking over,” says Ahmad, a student at Free Aleppo University, which was shut down last week by the HTS-controlled administration in Idlib.
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WNU Editor: I still expect the Syrian government and its allies to launch an offensive to recapture Idlib province in the future. But for now this radical Islamic group is consolidating its power in this region.
