The opposition in northern Syria fears the acceleration of the rapprochement steps between Ankara and Damascus and the possibility of its emergence in the areas it controls. This comes after increased information in the past days about recent meetings in Damascus at the level of intelligence officials of the two countries and the speech of the Turkish president, who expressed his desire to meet with President Bashar al-Assad in Uzbekistan.
The Turkish-backed National Army factions in northern Syria are moving to establish a “unified military command” council to control factional differences over limited financial resources in these areas, according to the website The New Arab, from its sources.
Payment
The sources added that “the unified council will include the three corps in the National Army, the management of one checkpoint, one security department, a unified central force, a legal office, a supervisory body, a public body for the dead of factions, and one economic department. It will include 28 members, with seven independent members.”
Regarding the coincidence of the initiative with the opening of the path of rapprochement between the Turkish side and its Syrian counterpart, the sources pointed out that “Ankara does not count on the National Coalition because its influence is limited in northern Syria.”
This comes at a time when Ankara is refraining from paying the dues of its militants within the “Euphrates Shield” areas. The frequency of divisions and differences among the Ankara factions, especially at the level of their ordinary members, has recently worsened. Sources have previously indicated to Athr Press that “one of the most important reasons for these divisions was the reduction of their salaries to 500 Turkish liras (about 120 thousand Syrian pounds). The salaries previously ranged from 800 to 1000 Turkish pounds, while the salaries of their leaders were not affected, and the reduction was accompanied by a delay in their arrival.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
