Syria’s Former Army Resurfaces Under New Banner In North As Major Battle Brews (Videos)

Illustrative image. (Hawar News Agency)

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has amassed a large force, reportedly including soldiers and officers from the former Syrian military, in the town of Deir Hafer, located just 40 kilometers to the east of Aleppo city in northern Syria, amid growing tensions with the country’s Islamist-led Interim Government.

In March, the Interim Government and the SDF signed a breakthrough agreement meant to integrate the group into the institutions of the new state.

The agreement, which was meant to de-escalate, ended up causing more tensions between the two sides. Despite talks in France, none of its terms have been implemented yet.

The tensions reached an unprecedented level late in September when a drone attack by government forces killed eight civilians in the village of Umm al-Tineh near Deir Hafter. Since then, the SDF has reinforced its positions in the area, with the government responding in recent fashion.

Clashes around Deir Hafter became a regular occurrence in recent days, with the SDF reporting foiling three infiltration attempts by government factions on October 3 alone.

On the same day, it became known the group had deployed some of its best units, including commando units trained and equipped by the United States, in Deir Hafer.

Videos from the town also revealed that members of the Alawites community who recently volunteered with the group were present there, including in the ranks of the commando units.

Most of them are reported to be soldiers and officers from the former Syrian military who fled to northern and eastern Syria amid the fall of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad last December. They served in elite formations like the Republican Guard, 4th Armored Division and 25th Special Mission Forces Division, which was also known as the Tiger Forces. Thus, their integration into the SDF’s commando units is not surprising.

Some, however, joined the group in March following a government crackdown on the coast, the heartland of the community, that left over 1,500 Alawite civilians dead.

“I am stationed on the frontlines in Rasem al-Kroum, near the positions of the so-called al-Amshat and al-Hamzat mercenaries— internationally notorious for their abuses against civilians. We send a message to our oppressed people: This crisis will pass. We pledge to fight to the last drop of our blood,” one of the Alawite fighters positioned there told the Hawar News Agency.

Another video shows a convoy of a commando unit with Alawite fighters heading to Deir Hafter. One of the fighters vows to liberate “all governorates,” including the “Alawite coast.”

More escalations came on October 4, with reports suggesting that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani had refused to meet with Ilham Ehmed, a senior political leader of the SDF, in Damascus. The meeting was a part of talks mediated by the U.S.

Washington recently boosted support of the Interim Government. However, it does not seem to be willing to abandon the SDF.

Earlier in the week a report by Al-Monitor revealed the Pentagon put on hold a plan announced earlier in the year to reduce the number of troops deployed in Syria due to instability there. The violence on the coast and later government attack on the Druze in al-Suwayda which reportedly left over 3,000 people dead were apparently the main factors that pushed the U.S. military towards this decision.

Syria’s Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa recently hinted that the agreement with the SDF should be implemented before the end of the year.

Timing is running out for sure, and Turkey, the main backer of the Interim Government, appears to be frustrated about the situation.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on October 1 that his country will not allow Syria’s fragmentation or harm to its territorial integrity if diplomacy to implement the agreement between the government there and the SDF fails.

Overall, both sides appear to be on course for a major battle. And while the Interim Government on paper has a larger number of troops, the SDF can’t be considered small with more than 100,000 well-trained and equipped fighters. In addition, the group has developed its drone capabilities and acquired effective air defenses over the past year.

The SDF success will ultimately hinge on U.S. support. If Washington decides to continue to back the group, it will be very difficult for Turkey to intervene directly. Against government forces, who are basically a cluster of factions with no real command and control structure, the SDF could not only defend its areas, but even expand.

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