[VOA] WASHINGTON ‐ As Turkey and Russia are discussing ways to stabilize war-torn Syria, a U.S.-designated terror group in northern Idlib province has been consolidating power, with some experts warning the group, if left unchecked, might grow stronger and complicate an already difficult situation.
Last week, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an al-Qaida-affiliated group, was able to take over large swaths of land in Idlib by pushing a rival rebel group, the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement, out of the area.
Fighting between the two groups lasted several days before a deal was reached, forcing the Zenki Movement, operating under the umbrella of the Turkish-backed National Front for Liberation (NFL), to dismantle itself and transfer hundreds of its fighters to the Afrin region where the NFL is based.
Some experts see the development as an effort by HTS to consolidate power in northern Syria.
"HTS minimized competitions from other rival groups in the area, absorbs fighters who are more ideologically inclined with HTS, and HTS will use this to demonstrate to the Syrian population that it is the most legitimate group operating in Idlib, making it even more difficult to dislodge," Colin Clarke, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, a New York-based think tank, told VOA.
Clarke added that HTS might be aiming for the "Hezbollah model" in Syria, trying to morph into a well-equipped militia with a political wing. 
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