Turkey Designates Tahrir al-Sham as Terrorist Group

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkey has listed the Jabhat al-Nusra* armed Islamist group as a terrorist organization, according to a decree signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The decree was signed in compliance with the United Nations Security Council resolution on countering terrorism financing. The Nusra Front organization, which joined with a number of other Islamists groups to form Tahrir al-Sham last year, had also been designated as terrorist by Turkey.

READ MORE: Some 10,000 Nusra, Al-Qaeda Terrorists in Idlib Have to Be Defeated — De Mistura

Tahrir al-Sham controls much of the Idlib province in Syria. Syrian forces are currently preparing an offensive in the region to clear Idlib and surrounding areas of militant groups.

Russia and Turkey have been in talks over a potential military operation in Idlib, which is currently covered by the de-escalation zone agreement agreed by Russia, Turkey, and Iran. Russia has also urged for the moderate Syrian opposition to separate from militants such as those in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

*Jabhat al-Nusra (also known as Tahrir al-Sham, al-Nusra Front) is a terrorist group banned in Russia