Several SNA factions in northwest Syria re-converge
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Media outlets circulated on Saturday news that the Second Legion, affiliated with the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), readmitted Sultan Suleiman Shah Division (al-Amshat) and Hamza Division to its ranks.
The New Arab Website cited military sources as saying, “The readmission of the two factions to the Second Legion came under Turkey’s orders after designating Fahim Issa as a general commander of the legion.”
This step came within the framework of reorganizing the SNA factions, according to the sources.
On October 26, there were reports talking about a Turkish plan to merge the SNA factions into a unified army under a single command.
Within the reorganization framework, Liberation and Construction Movement (LCM) – which includes the factions of Ahrar al-Sharqiya, Jaysh al-Sharqiya, 20th Division, and Suqur al-Sham – began to dissolve itself to implement the agreement that resulted from a meeting between the leaders of the SNA factions in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, according to the sources.
On November 3, Turkish officers and intelligence services (MIT) met the leaders of the SNA to touch on the issue of forming a new military council and a unified security and civil administration in areas under their control in northern Syria.
On October 11, the factions of al-Amshat and Hamza supported Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) during the clashes that took place in SNA held-areas, north of Aleppo.
The following day, the HTS controlled the city of Afrin and Jindires district besides tens of villages in the countryside of the city under the pretext of “repelling offences” from the SNA’s Third Legion against Hamza Division on the back of killing a media activist and his pregnant wife in the city of al-Bab in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.
On October 21, the HTS withdrew its forces and its heavy weaponry from the village of Kafr Janneh, Afrin and Jindires towards its areas of control in Idlib, following a Turkish-brokered agreement between both sides.
Military sources told North Press in a previous statement that the great convergence between the HTS, al-Amshat and Hamza Divisions and other factions paved the way for the HTS’ security service to set a foot in these factions’ areas while disguised in their uniforms.