Radical groups expected to retreat from Idlib demilitarized zone as Sochi deadline ends

Radical groups were expected to fully retreat from the designated demilitarized zone of Syria's Idlib province as the deadline determined in last month's Sochi deal between Turkey and Russia came to an end yesterday. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a radical group formerly known as the Nusra Front, said in a statement on Sunday that it would seek to provide security for people in the area it controls. In a clear reference to Turkey, the group said, "We value the efforts of all those striving – at home and abroad – to protect the liberated area and prevent its invasion and the perpetration of massacres in it." "But we warn at the same time against the trickery of the Russian occupier or having faith in its intentions," added the group.

The Sochi deal agreed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart foresaw the withdrawal of radical groups from a demilitarized zone of 15-20 square kilometers by Oct. 15.

Within the framework of the Sochi deal, military opposition and anti-regime forces in Idlib completed the process of pulling heavy weapons from the front line last week.

According to the deal which saddles Turkey with the task of retreating radical groups from the region, the moderate opposition will remain where they are.

In relation to the issue, analysts stated that the statement from the HTS does not necessarily mean that the deal has failed.

"Even if the agreement is not fully implemented today, it doesn't mean that it's not holding," said Haid Haid, a research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King's College in London, to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

He added that the HTS would seek the "best possible scenario" for its own survival, but that may include "a partial withdrawal."

Sam Heller, an International Crisis Group analyst, also told AFP that the ambiguity in HTS's statement "could be seen as a sort of internal acceptance of the Sochi deal and its implementation."

Turkey has been continuing to exert all necessary efforts on the Idlib agreement to achieve concrete results. While the significance of the deal has been highlighted, it has been also noted that there might be some delays regarding the implementation of the deal. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week that "there might be one or two days of delay," referring to the Oct. 15 deadline. He underscored that achieving the implementation of the deal was more important.

"In any case the quality of the work is more important. We actively support the efforts of our Turkish partners," he said.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister of the Bashar Assad regime, Walid al-Moallem, said yesterday that "After Idlib our target is east of the Euphrates," referring to the territory controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The SDF is dominated by the PKK terrorist group's Syrian offshoot the People's Protection Units (YPG). Turkey has been voicing its criticism that terror groups should be eliminated from the neighboring country and has stressed that these terror groups should not play the slightest role in the future of Syria.

sochi agreement saves

lives of civilians

The Sochi agreement has been praised by international actors since it prevented a full-scale operation by the Assad regime which aims to eliminate opposition groups. It has been long stressed by Turkey that an assault on Idlib province which is home to 4 million civilians would be a leap in the dark and result in heavy civilian casualties.

Previously, the regime and Russia launched airstrikes on Idlib on Sept. 4 prompting a high number of civilians to migrate toward regions near the Turkish border. Following the incidents, Ankara increased its diplomatic efforts, which led to the end of Russia and the regime's airstrikes. Nearly 80,000 people returned to their homes as a result of the agreement.