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While everyone’s attention is on Ukraine, key developments in Syria have gone under the radar. Recent reports put the spotlight on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the jihadi faction that runs the northwestern province of Idlib, which had moved into Afrin, the Kurdish-majority enclave that was occupied by Turkey in 2018. This move, and the broader trend we are seeing of gradual HTS expansion and consolidation have raised questions about where Turkey stands in this power grab as it’s an open secret that Turkey and HTS collaborate on the ground. Amberin Zaman, a senior correspondent reporting from the Middle East, North Africa and Europe exclusively for Al-Monitor, joins Thanos Davelis to look at what’s at stake in northern Syria. 

Read Amberin Zaman’s piece in Al Monitor here: Are Syria’s HTS jihadis Turkey’s new friends?

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

Zelenskyy thanks Greece for tanks, EU bid, solidarity

Erdoğan gears up for huge pre-election spending spree in Turkey

Turkey set to increase defense spending