Something is going wrong if you need to set up a new coalition every week
Militants groups have reportedly formed a new coalition in order to oppose advances of the Syrian Army and the Kurdish YPG in the area.
According to reports, the new coalition includes:
- Ahrar al Sham (Salafi-jihadi group)
- Fastaqem Union (A union of smaller units mostly supporting Salafi-jihadi ideology. It inclodes Liwa al-Islam, which is Jaish al-Islam’s old name.)
- Sultan Murad Div. (Turkmen militants Backed by Turkey.)
- 101 Div. (Vestiges of the FSA.)
- 16 Div. (Vestiges of the FSA.)
- Suqur Jabal (US-backed group. It recieves a high number of TOWs as “humanitarian aid” from the US and its partners.)
- 1st Rgmnt. (It used to be part of Liwa al-Tawhid. Liwa al-Tawhid is a Sunni Islamism militant group.)
- Zinki Movement (It also called Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki. It’s a Sunni Islamism militant group.)
- Muntasir Brigade (This unit was relocated from Raqqa to Aleppo in order to strengthen the militants positions there. It’s reportedly pledget alligance to the Syrian al Qaeda group al Nusra.)
This alliance is reportedly headed by Ahrar al Sham leader, Hashim al-Sheikh.
Pro-Western propagandists have already called this group a “major opposition alliance”. However, the ideology of included units clearly shows that this group is common extremists and terrorists.
Considering that all these units are trying to hold the Aleppo citiy, this organization will most likely spend most of its time fighting the SAA and it allies there. Thus, the success of this group will be important for the US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and others because even controlling a part of the city, they will able to strengthen the West’s dimplomatic positions in the ongoing talks on the Syrian conflict.
Hashim al-Sheikh