Turkey has listed the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham armed Islamist group (formerly the Nusra Front, a terrorist group outlawed in Russia) as a terrorist organization, according to a decree signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st September, 2018) Turkey has listed the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham armed Islamist group (formerly the Nusra Front, a terrorist group outlawed in Russia) as a terrorist organization, according to a decree signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The decree was singed in compliance with the UN Security Council resolution on countering terrorism financing. The Nusra Front, which joined with a number of other Islamists groups to form Tahrir al-Sham last year, had also been designated as terrorist by Turkey.
Tahrir al-Sham controls much of the Idlib province in Syria. Syrian forces are currently preparing an offensive in the region to clear Idlib and surrounding areas of militant groups. Russia and Turkey have been in talks over a potential military operation in Idlib, which is currently covered by the de-escalation zone agreement agreed by Russia, Turkey and Iran. Russia has also urged for moderate Syrian opposition to separate from militants such as those in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
