Statement from Jabhat al-Nusra: "About Recents Events in Rural Northern Aleppo (The Turkish Intervention)"

Click here for the original content.

--

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All Praise unto Allah, Lord of the worlds. Blessing and Peace rest on the Imâm of the messengers as well as on his family and all his companions.

After the establishment of the blessed Jaysh al-Fath, that shook the throne of the Nusayrîes in ash-Shâm and reached to their stronghold in the mountains of Lattakia, where Allah has bestowed upon us the liberation of the cities of Idlib, Jisr ash-Shughûr, Arîhâ as well as the two army bases al-Qarmîd and al-Mastûma. The [process of] liberation is by Allah’s grace still ongoing in the al-Ghâb Plains. The Nusayrî Army had to accept a series of defeats, which forced the tyrant of ash-Shâm to admit to it in his last speech.

In the midst of these events Turkey rang the bell, warning of a threat to its national security, consisting of its fear that the PKK could expand from Tel Abyad to ‘Afrîn, what would mean the establishment of a Kurdish state at its southern borders. Therefore it expressed its aim to create a safe zone in Aleppo’s northern countryside, which expands from A’zaz to ‘Ayn al-‘Arab “Kobane” and includes some regions which are under control of the Khawârij (Jamâ’t ad-Dawla). The Turkish Government and the International Allied Forces have decided to lead the battle and direct it, 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.

Based on that we announce our withdrawal from our positions against the Khawârij (Jamâ’t ad-Dawla) in the northern countryside of Aleppo. This is because of:

We in Jabhat an-Nusra do not hold the opinion that it is allowed to enter this Alliance [according] to the Sharî’a. Not in terms of joining its ranks, nor in terms of seeking its help and not even coordinating with it.
The decision of the actual battle was not a strategic choice originating from freewill of the fighting groups, but its first aim is the Turkish national security. We also do not hold the opinion that it serves the current [common] interest on the ground especially after the Nusayrî Regime’s retreat and the Mujâhidîns arrival to their strongholds at Syria’s costal region.

Surely, do the communities (jamâ’ât) and the fighting groups on the ground in ash-Shâm have the capacity to fight the Khawârij (Jamâ’t ad-Dawla) if they unite and come together – within the paths and means of the Sharî’a – and all of them hold fast to the cord of Allah the Exalted without the need to seek help by international or regional forces.

Facing this current scene, there is nothing left but to withdraw and leave our positions against the Khawârij in Aleppo’s northern countryside in order [for it to] be resumed by any fighting group in this region, whereas we preserve the remaining [defense] lines against the Khawârij in the countryside of Hama, Qalamûn etc. which are not affected by this battle.

Concluding, we’d like to direct a sincere advice to the fighting groups on the ground in ash-Shâm, that is essential for whoever of the groups takes over the comprehensive fight against the ad-Dawla group at this stage shall build his decision after a strategic and comprehensive study of the [situation on] the ground and a consideration of all its enemies on the ground as well as outside – including the Khawârij – and to categorize [to treat] them according to the danger, the relevance and the priority of the fight, taking into consideration the necessities of the stage and the higher [common] interests of the people of ash-Shâm in their revolution and their Jihâd. No one shall affect its determining of the priorities nor shall any foreign view distract from the priorities of the struggle and the noble ambitions of the people of ash-Shâm and their blessed Jihâd.

{“And Allah is Dominant in His purpose, but most of men know not.”}

All Praise unto Allah, Lord of the worlds.

Sunday, 24. Shawwâl 1436h / 9.8.2015