Crisis In Syria’s Al-Tanf Ends With U.S. Imposing Its Will On Its Proxies

Muhammad Farid Qassem on the right side. Source: (@MaghaweirThowra) on Twitter.

The U.S.-led coalition has finally imposed its will on its proxies in the southeastern Syrian area of al-Tanf by installing a new leader for Maghaweir al-Thowra (MaT) of its own choosing.

A crisis emerged in al-Tanf late in September when the U.S. coalition sacked Muhanad Tala, a former colonel of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), from his position as the leader of the MaT. The coalition replaced Tala with Muhammad Farid Qassem, who served as a captain in the SAA before defecting to join the rebels and later forming the US-backed al-Qaryatayn Martyrs Brigade in al-Tanf.

With 300 militants, the MaT is the main proxy group in the coalition al-Tanf garrison, where some 200 U.S. troops are usually deployed.

The coalition’s decision to sack Tala led to a series of protests by civilians and militants in al-Tanf garrison and the nearby Rukban refugee camp. The new leader, Qassem, was also rejected by the Joint Military Command of the MaT.

Despite being rejected, Qassem assumed his position as the leader of the MaT early in October. On the 3^rd of the month, photos showing the new leader meeting with senior commanders of the proxy group were released. All protests in the area had ended by then.

Tonight, newly appointed Commander of the @MaghaweirThowra, Fareed Qassim, met with military leaders to discuss the transition of power and future operations. Through change, we remain vigilant in the fight against #Daesh and security of the 55km. pic.twitter.com/JHZUmWlobJ

— مغاوير الثورة (@MaghaweirThowra) October 3, 2022

On October 5, the MaT posted photos on Twitter showing that its militants have resumed training with the U.S.-led coalition.

The coalition’s official account on Twitter retweet the photos with words expressing its support for Qassem as the new leader of the MaT. Interestingly, the coalition has apparently taken the initiative to promote Qassem to the rank of colonel.

It is clear our partnership & commitment remains strong to better #AdviseAssistEnable our @MaghaweirThowra partners in promoting security & sustaining regional stability, while Col. Farid Al-Qassem took command of MaT. #StrongerTogether https://t.co/Jr70H7jwiy

— Inherent Resolve (@CJTFOIR) October 6, 2022

Qassem was reportedly appointed as the new leader of the MaT upon direct orders from the U.S. Central Command. Despite having the reputation of a violent radical, Qassem maintained very close relations with to the coalition, especially with the U.S. Special Operations Command.

The decision to sack Tala was justified by his involvement in many criminal activities, like weapons and drugs trafficking. However, it remains unclear why the U.S.-led coalition decided to replace him with a radical like Qassem, whose former group was accused of carrying out terrorist attacks in the past.

The coalition may have appointed Qassem as the new leader of the MaT in order to push its proxies in al-Tanf to escalate their attacks on Syrian government forces and civilian infrastructure in nearby areas.

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