After Turkey-backed radical Islamist forces seized the pivotal Syrian city of Hama on Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed support for the military advance of his allies. Erdogan stated that the objective is to reach the capital city of Damascus, where Syrian dictator Bashar Assad resides.
Erdogan's comments allude to the presence of U.S.-designated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) within the rebel force. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that HTS is now near the military academy in Homs, a significant city in Syria.
