Following violent fighting between opposition groups in Afrin in October, Turkey has begun reorganizing the National army factions. In this context, leaders of Syrian National Army factions held a meeting in Turkey on Wednesday to unite the ranks under one command.
Turkey Warns Opposition Factions
Sources revealed to Baladi News the outcome of the Syrian National Army factions’ meeting with a Turkish intelligence official on Wednesday.
The sources confirmed that the Turkish official expressed his “deep displeasure” with the chaos that has recently occurred in the areas controlled by the “National Army” north of Aleppo. He hinted at the possibility of dissolving the armed factions whose violations have recently increased.
The sources pointed out that the Turkish official asked to end all existing blocs, such as “Azm, Thaeroon, the Liberation and Construction Movement, the Hamza Division, the Amshat and Ahrar al-Sham,” and to commit to work only within the three military corps.
The official, according to the sources, stressed the activation of the role of the military police by handing over all the checkpoints belonging to the factions from the border of Idleb to al-Bab and Jarablus in the countryside of Aleppo.
He stressed the immediate handover of all wanted factions to military justice, noting that any future fighting between the factions would be a reason to dissolve the fighting factions.
The official stressed that it is forbidden for all factions and their leaders to open any channels of communication with any Turkish institution. He pointed out that coordination between Turkey and the armed factions will be only, through an advisory committee set by the three corps. The interim government and the Ministry of Defense is the link between the two parties.
The sources confirmed that the factions agreed to hand over all the crossings in order to manage them, by an agreed economic working group, dissolve all security agencies within the factions, establish one security apparatus for the whole region, close all prisons, prevent fighting between factions, and hold the faction leader accountable in the event of the involvement of his faction or one of the leaders or members.
