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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Syrian National Army (Ottoman Proxies): factions fight among themselves as group cohesion frays |
| 2022-08-07 |
| Tension Rises Among Turkish-Backed Factions In Syria’s Aleppo Aug 5, 2022 [NPASyria] The city of al-Bab in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, north Syria, witnessed a military tension between two factions affiliated with the Turkish-backed opposition Syrian National Army (SNA). A military tension rose between Sultan Murad faction and Hamza Division after the latter installed a new military post, advancing on a post belonging to Sultan Murad in Tadef, east of the city, an exclusive source told North Press. The Sultan Murad faction opposed the establishment of the military post amidst a military alert between the two parties, the source added. The tension between the two parties extended to the city of Afrin, where the city witnessed a military alert between the two factions late yesterday evening, amid sporadic shooting, the source noted. The source indicated that the state of tension and alertness between the two factions coincided with artillery shelling by the Syrian government forces on the outskirts of the city of al-Bab. Hamza Division brought in military reinforcements, including vehicles loaded with heavy machine guns and militants to the village of al-Kuraizat in the countryside of al-Bab, while Sultan Murad faction mobilized its center in the city, according to the source. Since 2017, the city of al-Bab in the eastern countryside of Aleppo has been under the control of the opposition factions. Al-Bab is considered a gateway for carrying out smuggling operations with the Syrian government-controlled areas, amid persistent tendencies among the opposition factions to establish their posts in the area with the aim of gaining the largest amount of profits from the smuggling operations that take place on an ongoing basis. The SNA-held areas undergo security chaos, including explosions, persistent fighting between the factions and assassinations in light of the factions’ failure to maintain security there. Turkish-Backed Syrian Opposition Witnesses Wave Of Aug 2, 2022 [NPASyria] Turkish-backed armed Syrian opposition factions, also known as Syrian National Army (SNA), are witnessing continuous defections despite of the delicate stage that Turkey is passing through nowadays, threating to launch a military operation on Syria’s north on a daily basis. In October 2021, Hayat Thaeroon for Liberation, a military formation in the SNA, was formed after the integration of Faylaq al-Sham, Sultan Murad, al-Muntaser Billah, Thuwar al-Sham factions, in addition to Liwa al-Shamal, Ninth Squad and Liwa 112. Recently, the above mentioned factions have begun to split for multiple reasons, according to reports. On Sunday, a group of Levant Front faction, a main component of the SNA, announced defection in the city of Marea, in the northern countryside of Aleppo Governorate. A source told North Press that a group of the Levant Front faction consists of 250 militants announced defection with their light weapons to join the Mu’tasim Division, another faction of the SNA. The defection came as a response to the failure of the Levant Front faction’s management to pay them salaries for over than 50 days, according to the source. A source close to the SNA said that there are many reasons that encourage the militants to defect, most notably feeling of frustration and the continuous failure to achieve changes in the Syrian arena. There are other reasons such as low salaries, as each militant gets only 400 Turkish liras (about $25) per month, in addition to delayed in paying salaries for two months or more, the source added. He pointed out that the militants of these factions do not trust their leaders, resulting in a clear rift between them. Lack of both strict military regulations to prevent defections and influential military power to balance between the factions has increased chaos and flopping in these factions, according to the source. The interactions that happen between these factions have the main role in yielding new blocs within the opposition. On July 19, Sultan Suleiman Shah, also known as al-Amshat, and Hamza Division, factions affiliated with the SNA, announced their defection from Hayat Thaeroon for Liberation that includes many factions in the northern and eastern countryside of Aleppo. A few days later, Malik Shah faction announced that it had left the formation of the Third Legion in the SNA to join Hayat Thaeroon for Liberation. The defections in ranks of the Turkish-backed SNA come in tandem with Turkey’s intention to launch a military operation in north and east of Aleppo, in the cities of Tel Rifaat and Manbij respectively. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently announced plans to carry out another major military cross-border incursion into northern Syria. Erdogan specified his targets in the two northern Syrian cities of Manbij and Tel Rifaat. On July 1, Erdogan said that Ankara’s new military operation in northern Syria could begin at any moment. “The time has come to clear these lands from the terrorist organizations,” Erdogan threatened during Tehran Summit. Tehran Summit, on July 19, brought together presidents of each of Iran, Russia and Turkey with the Syrian issue and Turkish threats on the top of its agenda. |
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