The fighter said he was stationed in a village on the border with Turkey. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are in combat.
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It said the decision was being taken to avoid cooperating with a US-Turkish plan to create an IS-free zone in northern Aleppo province, along the Turkish border.
The Aharar al-Sham statement made no mention of the United States and only spoke about Turkey’s desire to set up the IS-free zone.
Interestingly, Turkey has not publicly said where they intend the zone to be, and it is somewhat surprising it is so far west as to encompass any of al-Qaeda’s holdings along the border. The zone, which extends 25 miles into Turkey, would effectively rid the area of ISIS and permit entry for humanitarian organizations to provide essential food and medical aid. As many as 1.7 million Syrian refugees might return to their houses underneath the brand new plan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated.
On Tuesday, the Islamic State militant group (IS/ISIS) freed 22 Assyrian hostages after six months of abduction in Tel Temir town in Hasakah province, northeastern Syria.
Syrian rebels and activists have criticised the US program, saying it is too small to make a difference and is focused on a rebel group that few people know.
“The Turkish government and the global allied forces have decided to lead the battle…assuring their objectives and their own priorities by providing air and artillery cover to some Syrian opposition groups who join the alliance as ground forces“, the statement read.
Last week, Ankara announced that it will allow Washington to perform manned flights from its bases to conduct airstrikes against ISIL in Syria.
Relations between Washington and Al-Nusra Front recently took a sharp turn, with the group attacking US-trained rebels in Syria just over one week ago, capturing two leaders and at least six fighters. Christians from over 100 families were kidnapped on Friday, with human rights groups fearing they will be beheaded or sold into sexual slavery. The weapons, they stated, will find yourself falling into the palms of teams which have totally different ideologies and objectives.
“Until these details are finalized, the U.S. has requested Turkey not to undertake independent counter-ISIL strikes in Syria, to ensure safe air operations for the coalition in dense airspace”. It has been fighting along with the Nusra Front and other factions against IS since early 2014.
Although the U.S. European Command had not provided the exact number of aircraft deployed, Turkish media sources have estimated the number at around 30.
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US and Turkish forces would hit Islamic State or PKK militants if they entered the safe zone, CNN Turk quoted Sinirlioglu as saying.
