Five Turkish-backed factions announce new military formation in northern Syria
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – On Thursday, five factions of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army in northwest Syria announced their merging into a new formation called the Syrian Front for Liberation.
The new formation, which was announced through an official statement, includes the factions of the Sultan Suleiman Shah Division, al-Hamza Division, al-Mu’tasem Division, Suqour al-Sham Division, and the 20th Division.
The Front appointed Mu’tasem al-Abbas, commander of the al-Mu’tasem Division, as its leader, and Seif Bolad, commander of the al-Hamza Division, as deputy, while the factions affiliated with it are deployed in the areas they control with Turkish support in the countryside of Aleppo, Hasakah and Raqqa.
According to the new statement, the formation aims to create a “single and effective leadership that transcends the limits of coordination and operates under the umbrella of the National Army.”
The factions affiliated with the new formation are accused of committing widespread human rights violations and carrying out kidnappings, torture and killings in their areas of control, according to international and local reports.