ALEPPO, Syria — The Free Syrian Army (FSA), backed by Turkish troops and Russian air support, has launched an attack on the jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in northwest Syria's Idlib province. The objective is to wrest control from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham of the large areas it now holds, to pave the way for declaring Idlib city a safe zone.
Meanwhile, heavy fighting was reported Oct. 9 between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Islamic State (IS) in northern Hama province near the Idlib border. IS claims to have captured a dozen villages from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Both Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and IS repeatedly engage with Syrian regime troops as well.