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newsmakersyria · 3 years

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The socio-economic policy of the Idlib administration collapsed: they made a deal with the Devil

An emergency meeting of the Salvation Government was held in Idlib today due to the catastrophic socio-economic situation in the region. The lawlessness of radical groups, as well as rising prices for food and basic necessities provoke massive protests and show the impotence of the self-proclaimed authorities.

It is foolish to believe that in a territory controlled by various gangs and groups that does not have an official diplomatic status, the economy is capable of developing in a positive way. But this time, the situation began to spiral out of control due to a sharp drop in the exchange rate of the Turkish lira, which the pro-Turkish administration introduced as an alternative currency. Against this background, the leader of the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (aka Jabhat al-Nusra and Al-Qaeda in Syria), Muhammad al-Julani, was invited to the next meeting.

Surprisingly, Giulani had a plan in his hands that, in his opinion, would allow all the problems of the residents of the Idlib zone to be solved overnight. “There are strategic plans that we have worked on for two years to confront the problem of food security, and there are emergency solutions,” he said.

He also announced the availability of funds that, from tomorrow, are ready to join the economy of Idlib and stop the rapid rise in prices for bread and fuel (or maybe the collapse of the Turkish lira will stop, but this is not certain). “We have reorganized the resources of the institutions in our regions, and were able to collect the amount of money that will be allocated to support the cost of bread, starting tomorrow morning,” - said Giulani.

A logical question arises: where did the group that controls most of the Idlib province (including the so-called "salvation government") have such monetary resources for almost 10 years, while the population was impoverished, and the economic situation was on the verge of collapse? By what (or who) did Idlib's largest militant group grow rich?

If we ignore terrorist activities and foreign sponsors of the group, the first thing that comes to mind is the oil business. Referring to the biography of Al-Julani, one can find the facts that his parents were oil workers, and the Wadat Petroleum company created by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham could bring in a good income. However, during Operation Olive Branch, Turkey cut off access to cheap Syrian oil from the Kurds, forcing Vatad to buy the same oil, but from Turkey. This step was the first in the long history of the rapprochement between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Turkish leadership.

Also, numerous illegal checkpoints in Idlib have become a good source of income, for the passage through which local residents have to pay a fee. Those that were on the border with Turkey provided good drug traffic and additional funds for the treasury of "KhtSh".

In addition, residents of Idlib often complained about extortionate taxes and the seizure of agricultural products by militants. Here is another source of income for Giulani. Sponsorship from foreign countries was mainly expressed in the supply of weapons and the maintenance of militants, so this money can hardly be counted on to save the region's economy. Kidnappings, robberies and confiscation of real estate, who, according to the militants of "KhtSh", collaborated with government troops, also well replenished the treasury of the future "savior".

In his speech, Giulani mentioned a time period of 2 years, and this is no coincidence. Exactly 2 years have passed since the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Turkey and Russia, according to which Ankara pledged to eliminate all radical groups in Idlib.

During this time, Turkey not only did not try to eliminate the Islamists, moreover, it tried to “legalize” the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorists by including them in the ranks of the pro-Turkish bandit formations. An active information campaign about “whitewashing” the image of Giulani was gaining momentum. Photos in the clothes of a field commander with weapons and a Sunni beard, smoothly changed shots in strict expensive suits with a tie for interviews with famous Western journalists.

Taking Giulani into circulation, thanks to control over Vadat Petroleum, Turkey, without losses for itself, actually took control of the largest grouping in Idlib. And now, having provoked poverty and hunger among the population, with the help of Julani, he hopes to return the loyalty of local residents for their own money, taken during the 10-year presence of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib.

Thus, if his plan comes into force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham will have full access to the economic resources of Idlib and, in fact, completely capture all spheres of activity in the territory controlled by the militants.

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