Turkiye to restructure Syrian rebel military, disband SNA factions after HTS withdraws from Afrin

Competing Syrian rebel groups under the umbrella of the Syrian National Army (SNA) are set to be disbanded by Turkiye and its military, according to security sources, in a move to stop infighting and create a centralised command structure for the Syrian opposition’s military.

Earlier this month, intense conflict broke out between the Idlib-based Syrian militant group, Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and the SNA’s Third Legion in areas throughout northern Syria, after a prominent Syrian opposition activist was assassinated in the city of Al-Bab in Aleppo province and led to clashes among rival opposition groups.

The fighting saw HTS enter areas in northern Syria long-held by the SNA and its factions, especially the city of Afrin. After the Turkish military deployed armoured vehicles in areas and held talks between the two sides, however, the situation has calmed and a prisoner swap between HTS and the Third Legion took place last week.

According to the London-based news outlet, Middle East Eye, a senior Turkish security source told it that HTS “will soon be completely out as they have already left with the bulk of their fighters” from Afrin.

11 years after the Syrian Revolution and the outbreak of civil war in Syria, the SNA has grown from being a combination of 28 groups from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to a composition of 41 different factions, which regularly hold disagreements and fight with one another.

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One civilian administrator from Afrin told the outlet that the SNA’s internal conflicts have obstructed numerous services such as municipal assemblies, the police force, and the law. “The SNA is fighting with each other every day, everywhere. It doesn’t matter whether here or anywhere else. A problem in Al-Bab is suddenly reflected here. The people are fed up with the conflict between the groups”.

Despite the support the SNA receives from Turkiye and the group having fought alongside Turkish forces during their military incursions into Syria over the years, Ankara has reportedly grown increasingly concerned over the factions’ internal conflicts and rivalries.

A Turkish official with knowledge of the situation told the outlet that “We would never leave these areas to a group like HTS” and insisted that ideas of Turkiye having had a role in the clashes are “speculations and conspiracy theories [that] are utter nonsense”, other Turkish sources reportedly confirmed that the events may justify Ankara’s reorganisation and restructuring of the SNA.

Under Turkiye’s new plan, according to the sources, all the groups and components under the SNA will be disbanded. “They would also withdraw from civilian areas and a regular army led by a central command will be established,” stated one source.