Commander of the Free Syrian Army: Progress with SDF to Establish a Joint Operations Room

by ATHR PRESS (Pro-government newspaper), published on Syrian Observer, August 10, 2023

The leader of the US-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) faction, Muhammad Farid Qassim, has announced significant strides in collaboration with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and undisclosed armed groups to establish a joint operations center.

Qassim stated the SDF and other armed factions across Syrian territories are actively pursuing unified efforts. He emphasized that there is a growing consensus on the necessity of coordinating the endeavours of all armed factions within Syria to attain their shared objectives, as reported by opposition media.

Explaining the recent activities of the Free Syrian Army faction in the Tanf region, its commander detailed that recent exercises are geared towards active participation in upcoming military engagements, underscoring that the faction stands at the forefront of any defensive action in the area.

These declarations come shortly after the faction refuted claims of coordination with the Turkish-backed National Army group in northern Syria, regarding the deployment of forces to the Tanf region situated at the Syrian-Jordanian-Iraqi border junction for border security.

According to the opposition outlet Sham, reliable information confirms that members of the National Army factions have initiated the registration process to redeploy to the Tanf region along the Syrian-Jordanian border. The intention is to utilize these forces as border guards, akin to their prior mission in Libya. Allegedly, faction leaders from various components have instructed their members, via discrete channels, to enroll for potential military assignments in the Tanf area, in exchange for remuneration of up to one thousand US dollars.

On July 12th, the FSA faction explicitly dismissed claims of imminent military operations in Deir-ez-Zor, underscoring that their primary responsibility is safeguarding the 55-kilometre expanse and the Rukban camp.

Notably, US forces conducted joint military exercises with the SSDF in northeastern Syria on July 4. This followed similar exercises by US forces from the Tanf base with the Free Syrian Army faction at the tripartite Syrian-Jordanian-Iraqi border junction, culminating a day earlier.

Rumours circulate regarding a US strategy to establish a link between the Tanf base in southern Syria and territories controlled by the SDF in the northeast. However, challenges are apparent, given the significant 120-kilometre distance between Tanf and Bukamal to the northeast, compounded by the arduous expanse of the Syrian desert, which poses obstacles to the mobility of US-backed factions.