Orient Net, 2017-01-18 – Ahrar al-Sham Movement, one of the main opposition fighting groups operating mainly in northern Syria, declared Wednesday that it will not participate in talks due to take place on January 23 in the Kazakh capital Astana.
In a statement issued by the movement and published on its social media accounts, it said that it will not take part in the Astana talks for many reasons. The most important reasons are the lack of implementation of the ceasefire, brokered and declared by Turkey and Russia on December 30, and the vicious bombardment campaign that Assad and Hezbollah terrorists have been launching on Wadi Barada valley, west of Damascus.
The movement also pointed out that despite marketing itself as a guarantor country, Russia has continued to target the opposition-held areas.
Ahrar al-Sham said that by taking this position, it will not allow any confrontations to take place between opposition factions which are pro or anti Astana talks.
Syrian military opposition factions held last week a series of consultative meetings in the Turkish capital Ankara to discuss participation in Astana talks. Nine opposition fighting groups decided to participate in the talks. They are: al-Sham Brigade, Sultan Murad Brigade, al-Shamiyyeh Front, Jaysh al-Ezzeh, Jaysh al-Nasr, First Coastal Division, Fastaqim, al-Islam Martyrs Brigade and Jaysh al-Islam. The groups also chose senior member in Jaysh al-Islam Muhammad Alloush as the head of the Syrian opposition’s delegation to the Astana talks.