If we don't put the heat on them they won't splinter, and if we don't snuff out the bad elements actively they'll jus be emboldened to strengthen their positions. Because they know what you just said.
Isn't it self contradictory that what we're doing to PKK isn't being done to HTS. killing of the brains etc. I truly believe this is a very bad call. Arms without a brain is easier to control than wait for some part of the brain to die....
If we do this right now a Regime offensive will follow and we will have to enter a war with the Syrian Regime, fighting shoulder to shoulder with a terrorist organization, similarly to the situation during Operation Peace Spring where we were forced to fight next to HTS in order to prevent a Regime takeover. We were forced to support the creation of the "Al-Fath Al-Mubin" operations room which was consisting of NLF (National Liberation Front-Turkish supported at the time) and HTS. This made us open for exploitation. For example after Operation Peace Spring, in 2020 we had to reinforce the NLF and sent money and weapons. The NLF leadership gave us the names of 14.000 fighters for which we should've sent equipment and money for salaries. After an intelligence work we found out that instead of 14.000 the NLF leadership equipped only 350. One can ask where did all the money and equipment go? I think the answer is clear. So basically we should make everything possible in order NOT to create joint operation rooms with HTS and be dependent on them for even one bullet spent.
Such a war will be an official state of war that would lead to the occupation of the north of Syria by TSK and the end of all regulating and de-escalation initiatives with Russia and Iran in the region. The consequences on a regional level I don't even want to imagine. We don't have the capacity to deal with such a situation and all the consequences that will arise, no matter if we look it economically, militarily or politically.
HTS without head can not deter the Regime and currently Idlib means HTS. The reason why we don't have the same attitude towards them is because they keep the Regime out of Idlib with the mean of their military force. They also are not in an open, all out war with us. We don't like them and they don't like us, but they know that we are the only choice they got in order to receive supplies like living goods and Turkiye is the only route where large scale smuggling can work which is getting them money. Idlib is a different economy. Basically we let them eat, they keep the Regime out and occupied.
Another reason for why we shouldn't intervene in this way in Idlib is the nature of the organization. If we make it this way, on the next week we will see how suicide bombers blow themselves everywhere in Turkiye. HTS is currently not a threat for the internal security in Turkiye, but it quickly may become. We should destroy them and seize all the areas where they can develop a new network. They should be destroyed in the same way Hurras Ad-Deen (Al-Qaeda Syria) was destroyed. I am confident that the US and he Coalition will also support this.
In my opinion the only viable solution will be as I explained in my other posts to push the people and the moderate minds within the HTS and Idlib so they can remove Julani and the radicals from power, assist this rebel force with the help of SNA and TSK (covert unconventional operation led by the Special Forces embedded with our proxy forces, assisted with fire support missions by the artillery units inside Idlib and airstrikes) to exterminate the radicals. In this way we will make them "remove the head" by themselves and we will create a unity between Idlib and our areas under one government (Syrian Interim Government) and one army (Syrian National Army). In this way our hand will strengthen a lot, we will get rid of the foreign fighters and terrorists and we will bring the needed stability in Idlib which will be in the hands of the internationally supported and recognized Opposition. This can be done only if specific conditions are met. We are working on creating these conditions right now. Julani know what we are cooking and also creates a similar situation in our areas, trying to win local support and oust us. The recent tension is only a symptom of this cancer which is currently being cured by MIT and the futureproof system of the Military Academy recently established for the SNA in order to gain loyal officers commanding the SNA, replacing the scum and gangs which are acting as a trojan horse.
By getting SNA and the Interim Government on power in Idlib, both the borders between our areas and Idlib will be abolished, the economy will move more freely and we will get rid of the pretext for military action of Russia. As we see Russia is not targeting SNA forces anymore. They target only HTS and HTS related forces.
We should make everything possible to initiate internal coup in Idlib, unite the two Opposition regions under one leadership (Turkish supported) in such a swift way where we don't create a military weakness which will expose Idlib to the confidence of the Regime army. The Regime should be deterred during the time of this operation.
Making this work is important due to the fact that currently our national security is dependent on a terrorist organization. The power vacuum that will be created if they just perish will be filled by something else which we will not like. We should be ready to fill that power vacuum at the same moment it starts to exist so we don't create conditions for Regime incursion and even other present actors to start expanding their influence like Al-Qaeda (Hurras Ad-Deen) or ISIS.
We should be the one and only, the SNA and the Interim Government should be our ears, eyes and hands.
