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Post by pieter on Oct 11, 2019 3:32:32 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Oct 11, 2019 3:36:01 GMT -7
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Post by karl on Oct 11, 2019 20:49:35 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Oct 12, 2019 10:28:12 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Oct 12, 2019 10:29:32 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Oct 12, 2019 10:43:07 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Oct 12, 2019 10:45:25 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Oct 12, 2019 10:47:01 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Oct 13, 2019 6:50:19 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Oct 13, 2019 7:25:23 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Oct 13, 2019 8:27:30 GMT -7
The Syrian National Army (Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army)The Flag of the Syrian National Army (Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army)The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (abbreviated as TFSA), officially known as Syrian National Army (Arabic: الجيش الوطني السوري, romanized: al-Jayš al-Watanī as-Sūrī, Turkish: Suriye Millî Ordusu) or simply the National Army (Arabic: الجيش الوطني, romanized: Jayš al-Watanī, Turkish: Millî Ordu), is an armed Syrian opposition structure mainly composed of Syrian Arab and Syrian Turkmen rebels operating in northwestern Syria. Though concentrated in Turkish-occupied areas, originally as a part of Operation Euphrates Shield, the TFSA also established a presence in the Idlib Governorate during the 2019 northwestern Syria offensive, and consolidated its presence when the National Front for Liberation joined the SNA on 4 October 2019.
The formation of the National Army was officially announced on 30 December 2017 in Azaz. The official aims of the group are to assist the Republic of Turkey in creating a "safe zone" in Syria, and to establish a National Army. They are strong opponents of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and have also fought the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and, to a lesser extent, the Syrian government's Syrian Arab Army. The TFSA has a law enforcement equivalent, the Free Police, which is also backed by Turkey.Men of the Syrian National Army during military exercises CompositionThe TFSA, which includes at least 25,000 fighters according to one of its senior commanders, mostly consists of Arabs and Turkmen. In comparison, the number of Syrian Kurds among the TFSA is relatively small. In January 2018, senior TFSA commander Azad Shabo said that there were "dozens" among the FSA units such as the Azadî Battalion, while Almodon Online reported about 500 Kurdish fighters overall, including in non-FSA formations such as Ahrar al-Sham, the Levant Front and the Army of Grandchildren. By February 2018, a TFSA commander claimed that 1,000 Kurds were part of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army. Ahrar al-Sham fighters, today part of the Syrian National Army (Free Syrian Army) on paradeSoldiers of the Free Syrian Army celebrate after capturing a string of checkpoints on the borders with Iraq and Turkey. Photo: Reuters 2012By the end of June 2017, most Turkish-backed FSA groups reorganized themselves into three main military blocs: the Victory Bloc, the Sultan Murad Bloc, and the Levant Bloc. However, a number of other groups remained independent. On 30 December 2017, the groups unified to form the National Army. By this time, three "legions" were established as part of the SNA: the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Legions. On 15 March 2018, rebel factions in northern Homs countryside formed the 4th Legion, though they later evacuated to northern Aleppo. Factions also evacuated from the Rif Damascus and Damascus Governorates to northern Aleppo.Members of the Syrian opposition Sultan Murad corpsThe Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) has conquered (captured) the northern Syrian villages of Maranaz and Al-Malikiyah in may 2019 from the YPG/PKK terror group, according to local sources. For member groups, Military councils, and other Turkish-backed rebel groups in the area check this Wikipedia link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish-backed_Free_Syrian_Army
On 4 October 2019, the National Front for Liberation joined the National Army's command structure, planning to become its 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th legions. Both NFL and SNA fighters were uninformed of the merger, which took place in a press conference in Urfa, southern Turkey, amid Turkish plans to launch an offensive against the Syrian Democratic Forces.Members of the National Front for Liberation during an operation in Northern SyriaConnection with Turkey The Turkey-backed FSA are the main non-Turkish Armed Forces component of Operation Euphrates Shield. The name is a misnomer, as they are distinct from the Free Syrian Army; their wages are paid for by the Turkish government, they operate alongside the Turkish Armed Forces. Their chain of command has no connection to the Free Syrian Army. Injured Turkey-backed FSA troops have been treated in Turkey. The Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army are also distinguishable from other Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups because they have attacked YPG and other SDF units, which the FSA generally has not done (besides occasional skirmishes on Afrin's southern border with Idlib-based groups), while they have refrained from attacking the Syrian Arab Army, the main opponent of most FSA groups.The Turkish Army bombards the SDF using heavy artillery in the northern Aleppo countryside in July 2017. The Turkish Armed Forces often directly support the TFSA during military operations.There have been moves by Turkey to consolidate the units within their sphere of influence into one formal army, with a suggestion that it be called the "Syrian National Army".
The Free Police have more overt connections to Turkey, reportedly wearing Turkish police uniforms decorated with the word "Polis" (Turkish for "Police"), while Special Forces wear distinctive light blue berets also worn by Turkish Gendarmerie. Some wore a Turkish flag patch on their uniforms at the inauguration ceremony on 24 January 2017. The Free Police also receive five weeks of training in Turkey.Police officers of the Turkey backed Free Syrian Army - Free Police in Northern SyriaSyrian police personnel were deployed in Syria's northern city of Jarabulus, for the first time since the city was captured by Turkey-backed forces from Daesh (Islamic State/ISIS/ISIL) militants.A new Syrian police force trained and equipped by Turkey started to work in a rebel-held border town in januari 2017. This was a sign of deepening Turkish influence in northern Syria, where it has helped drive out Islamic State militants in 2018 and early 2017.Hundreds of police trained by Turkey started work in northern Syria in 2017Hundreds of police trained by Turkey started work in northern Syria in 2017Hundreds of police trained by Turkey started work in northern Syria in 2017On 18 April 2018, the TFSA's Raqqa Military Council, which consists of 6 groups, was announced in the city of Urfa in southeastern Turkey.
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Post by pieter on Oct 13, 2019 8:37:05 GMT -7
Warning, this is not neutral, but a Pro-Turkish, Pro Free Syrian army/Syrian National Army video
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Post by pieter on Oct 13, 2019 8:42:30 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Oct 13, 2019 8:46:49 GMT -7
The 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern SyriaRas al-Ayn bombing on 10 October 2019.The 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, code-named by Turkey as Operation Peace Spring, is an ongoing military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Turkish-allied opposition Syrian National Army (SNA) against areas under the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
On 6 October 2019, the Trump administration ordered American troops to withdraw from northeast Syria, where the United States had been supporting its Kurdish allies. The military operation began on 9 October 2019 when the Turkish Air Force launched airstrikes on border towns.
According to the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the operation is intended to expel the SDF—viewed as a terrorist organization by Turkey due to its ties with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) but considered an ally against ISIL by the United States and its allies—from the border region as well as to create a 30 km-deep (20 mi) "safe zone" in Northern Syria where some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey would resettle. As the proposed settlement zone is heavily Kurdish in demographic makeup, this intention has been criticized by critics as an attempt to force a drastic demographic change, a criticism denied by Turkey by saying that it only intended to "correct" the demographics that Turkish officials asserted were changed by the SDF.
The Turkish action was condemned by the European Union, the Arab League, Iran, Israel, India and the United Kingdom as an assault on the territory of a sovereign and Arab state and an irresponsible destabilizing action with "potentially terrible" humanitarian consequences. The Syrian government has blamed the Kurds for the Turkish offensive, because of their separatism and not negotiating with the government, but has also condemned the foreign invasion of Syrian territory.Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Turkish_offensive_into_north-eastern_Syria
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Post by pieter on Oct 13, 2019 8:57:54 GMT -7
How do the various International media report on the war in Northern Syria
The anger against the American 'betrayal' of the Kurds is visible here
Comment Pieter (Pieter's text):
The Syrian Kurds, Arabs and Assyrian christians of the YPG (People Protection Units) and SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces, allies and part of the YPG) expected the Turks to attack, but didn't expected the US to pull out and 'abandon' them, the American retreat is seen as betrayal. Now you see the hostility towards Americans, when the Sky news news team was asked if they were Americans. They are British, but were seen as Westerners, the Westerners who lef the Syrian Kurds alone at the hands of the Turkish and Free Syrian army's attackers. There is a considerate amount of sympathy in both Europe and the USA. These Pro-Syrian Kurd sentiments don't take into account the Turkish reservations, losses and anger that the YPG (People Protection Units) and SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) units are PKK backed and trained groups. The PKK civil war against Turkey in Turkey and their terrorist attacks and the response of the Turkish army costed thousands of lives in Turkey. The situation is complicated. Both sides in the Netherlands (the Turkish and Kurd diaspora) have a black and white image of the conflict. Ethnic Turks mainly backing Turkey and the Free Syrian Army (Syrian National Army today) and most Turkish Kurds, Syrian Kurds, Iraqi Kurds and Iranian Kurds backing the YPG Kurd and Arab and Assyrian fighters in Northern Iraq. Surrisingly the Arab Leage condemned the Turkish attack on Northern Syria. Maybe because Arab fighters are part of the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces). In total about 50,000–55,000 people (both Turks and Kurds) were killed in the Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present).
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