Turkey Was Behind Drone Strike On Top Ally Of HTS In Syria’s Aleppo

Turkey allegedly was behind the assassination of Ahrar al-Sham Movement senior commander Saddam al-Musa, who was a top ally of al-Qaeda-affiliated Haya’t Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

Al-Musa, also known as “Abu Uday Aulan,” was targeted by a combat drone near his house in the Turkish-occupied town of al-Hadath, which is the northern countryside of Syria’s Aleppo.

On January 28, Syrian opposition activists shared photos showing parts of a Turkish-made MAM-L guided bomb, which were allegedly retrieved from the drone strike site.

The MAM-L, which was developed by Roketsan, is the main armament of Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drones. The 22 kg glide bomb is guided by semi-active laser and has an effective range of up to 15 kilometers.

Several Bayraktar TB2 combat drones were reportedly flying over the Turkish-occupied part of the northern Aleppo countryside at the time of al-Musa assassination.

Click to see the full-size image

According to activists, the commander was threatened prior to his assassination by the Turkish military over his role in spreading HTS influence in Turkish-occupied areas. The terrorist group, which is based in Greater Idlib, has been attempting to expand beyond the region for a few years now.

Al-Musa refused Turkish orders to withdraw from al-Homran crossing in the northern Aleppo countryside, which links Turkish-occupied areas with the territory of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, earlier this month. The crossing, which is one of the key oil smuggling routes in war-torn Syria, was under HTS’s de-facto control.

The assassination of the infamous commander came amid ongoing efforts by Russia to restore ties between Ankara and Damascus. HTS and Ahrar al-Sham are both considered to be terrorist groups by the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad.

Turkey’s responsibility for the assassination of al-Musa remains a matter of question as the evidence. Photos of the MAM-L remains have not been verified yet. In any case, the targeting of the commander was without a doubt meant as a message to HTS.

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• Unidentified Combat Drone Attacked HTS Ammunition Depot In Syria’s Greater Idlib – Reports

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