Response congressional research service 2 emerged as a persistent challenge for u. The free syrian army is the military wing of the opposition to syrian president bashar assad. They were looking for a syrian counterpart to ahmad chalabi, the prou. Aug, 2016 the following collaboratively written article is the result of months of research in a joint project by ryan ofarrell and cody roche. The opposition is also subdivided into moderates, islamists and jihadists, which is the minimum required to understand the many groups within it. A closer look at syrias fragmented opposition frontline. The regime must be prevented from destroying these institutionsand the oppositions ability to run themafter military forces loyal to assad withdraw from an area. They claim to have approximately 60,000 troops and say the u. There are two particularly notable extremist groups in syria. May 14, 20 the structure and organization of the syrian opposition. Assessing options for regime change daniel byman, michael doran, kenneth pollack, and salman shaikh. Syrian opposition groups unite to chart roadmap to democracy. The free syrian army welcomes any hand extended to help bring the. Report says a russianmade s200 that landed on the syrian side of the golan heights has made its way into israeli hands.
Iraqi opposition leader who helped build the case for invading iraq. Syrian opposition groups unite to chart roadmap to. Last week, dennis kucinich seized headlines by traveling to syria and expressing some degree of. May 14, 20 the syrian opposition is fragmented, and understanding these divisions is crucial for the obama administrations efforts to shape its policy toward syria and support a foundation for a cohesive.
Jan 22, 2016 syria, syrian opposition, syrian national coalition, free syrian army, riyad hijab, george sabra, mohammad alloush not many would have predicted the final lineup of the team chosen during the riyadh meeting of the syrian opposition to lead talks with syrian regime representatives on wednesday. National coalition for syrian revolutionary and opposition. New america is pleased to welcome osama abu zayd, a spokesman and representative of the free syrian army to discuss these issues. The ncc believes the free syrian army is an essential part of the revolution and plays an important role in. April 2012 elizabeth obagy middle east security report 4. Syrian opposition demands release of prisoners before.
The structure and organization of the syrian opposition. Apr 09, 2017 antiisis coalition troops and allied syrian opposition forces have repelled an attack by the terrorist group on a joint base in southern syria, according to the coalition. Syrian opposition demands release of prisoners before peace talks. The systematic repressive practices by the syrian regime over the years have weakened the internal opposition and resulted in a thriving exiled dissident movement, which is composed of several. Turkeybacked syrian opposition fighters on thursday retook a key northwestern town in syria that was recently captured by government forces, and cut the highway linking the capital, damascus. The independence flag of syria, used in the period of the syrian republic before the baathist coup in 1963, has been widely used by protesters as an opposition flag and has been adopted officially by the syrian national coalition and the free syrian army. Antiisis coalition troops and allied syrian opposition forces have repelled an attack by the terrorist group on a joint base in southern syria, according to the coalition. Pdf when the arab spring reached syria, its pharaoh, bashar alassad, was in no mood to give up easily. The debate over international responses to the assad governments continued barrelbombing and lethal use of chemical weapons centered on the dominance and agenda of extremists in the syrian opposition and their role in a postassad syria.
Methodology we have divided the known active syrian opposition and associated factions into seven categories. Yet, neither can claim to be the sole voice of the syrian opposition forces. Jan 30, 2016 the free syrian army has struggled despite receiving american support, while hardline islamist factions have become more powerful. We already know that at the very least the central intelligence agency and state department are helping the opposition free syrian army develop logistical routes for moving supplies into syria and providing communications training. The syrian opposition groups have sought to pose a national alternative to the regime. The agreement is the most serious move yet by the fractured syrian opposition to unite against the. Aside from the syrian national council, the wider syrian national coalition, and the rival national coordination committee, proopposition parties, interest groups, and activist networks have not been widely documented since the early days of the. In 2019, turkey launched a cross border military operation attempting to expel syrian kurdish u. Syria s main opposition bloc and the free syrian army fsa rebels have. Alleged israeli airstrikes target hezbollah site, syrian. National islamist groups this chapter outlines the key dynamics and results of a similar gradual turkish strategy of controlthroughcentralization over syrian armed national islamist groups that resulted in the consolidation of a number of fsa, ahrar alsham and faylaq alsham groups into the nlf.
Free syrian army fsaaffiliated rebel groups that receive support from the u. Please save or open images in a new tab to see full details. The syrian government, the opposition rebels, foreign powers and islamic. Coalition and syrian opposition forces repel isis attack. The national coalition for syrian revolution and opposition forces arabic. With the increasing role of turkey as the sole backer of the syrian opposition and following turkish pressure, the remaining factions in idlib, afrin, and northern. Washington thus had no relations with the syrian opposition until its invasion of iraq in 2003.
Syria s armed opposition a spotlight on the moderates introduction more than four years after the start of the syrian uprising, the country is the stage of a protracted civil war with a perplexing multitude of armed opposition factions competing over territory with the regime and among each other. The free syrian army is the army that never was one. Who are the members of syrias opposition delegation. The syrian opposition is also asking the united states to support a new effort to train and equip moderate rebel fighters to. Syrian army colonel defects, forms free syrian army, asharq. Alleged israeli airstrikes target hezbollah site, syrian airport report the air strikes come just days after the idf thwarted an attempted sniper attack along the syria israel border in the. The syrian armed opposition is fighting a war on two fronts. Syria talks are complicated by competing opposition groups. Syrian armed opposition forces in aleppo the united states faces a geostrategic inflection in syria that it has not yet fully recognized.
The faction of the syrian opposition that has been the main recipient of foreign arms is the free syrian army fsa, an umbrella organization headquartered in. The moderate opposition includes the free syrian army and the syrian national coalition. As russian airstrikes intensify, syrian opposition factions will likely seek the protection of a strong partner in the fight against the regime and its allies. The una is the latest in a long line of attempts to unify the syrian armed opposition and it is unlikely that its fate will be any. In the past the government has pledged to free political detainees but in the end released only ordinary criminals.
As russian airstrikes intensify, syrian opposition factions will likely. Syrian opposition to coordinate with free syrian army. Even then, the bush administration reached out only to washingtonbased opponents of the syrian regime. There are believed to be as many as 1,000 armed opposition groups in syria, commanding an estimated 100,000 fighters. Throughout the syrian civil war, the free syrian army fsa has been the armed opposition group mostly aligned with and most dependent on turkey. In most cases, though, they have been at best loosely coordinated. Image caption mr ghalioun, head of the syrian national council, met the free syrian army in turkey. Nov 10, 2011 of the two organizations, the snc is a better constellation of the major political parties and movements in the opposition. Jan 14, 2017 the civil side of syrias opposition has largely been overshadowed by the armed rebel groups amidst the countrys devastating conflict. The cessation of hostilities declared on february 11, 2016 permits russia and the assad regime to continue targeting u. Whos who in syrias civil war council on foreign relations. The syrian opposition is also asking the united states to support a new effort to train and equip moderate rebel fighters to combat. Syrian opposition leaders, in washington for talks.
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