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HUNDREDS of jihadists from Syria’s Idlib have reportedly arrived in Ukraine via Turkey, aiming to fight Russia.
Relatives of fighters with the Tahrir al-Sham group (formerly known as al-Nusra and the dominant force in a Turkish-backed regime in north-east Syria) said that Turkey had allowed passage for around 450 militants.
Idlib, one of the last parts of Syria not reconquered by the Bashar al-Assad government, has concentrated jihadist fighters who fled from the advancing Syrian Arab Army elsewhere.
Speaking to Middle East Eye last week, some militants expressed a desire to travel to Ukraine to fight Russia because Russia’s backing for the Syrian government is considered a key factor in its victory over them there.
Turkey has previously helped fighters from Idlib reach other theatres of war, notably in Libya, where it deployed them to support the UN-backed Tripoli government against Khalifa Haftar’s rebellion.