'Largest military entity' against Assad regime formed

The Syrian Liberation Front and the Suqour al Sham Brigades join Free Syrian Army-linked National Front for the Liberation of Syria.

Syrian rebel fighters hand themselves over to regime troops as regime forces move in to the outskirts of Ain Tarma, in Eastern Ghouta, after a deal was reached with a rebel group that controlled the area. March 23, 2018.
AFP

Syrian rebel fighters hand themselves over to regime troops as regime forces move in to the outskirts of Ain Tarma, in Eastern Ghouta, after a deal was reached with a rebel group that controlled the area. March 23, 2018.

Three military factions banded together on Wednesday to form a 100,000-strong fighting force, billed as the largest military opposition entity against the Assad regime in Syria's central Hama and northwest Idlib regions.

According to sources in the Syrian opposition, the Syrian Liberation Front and the Suqour al Sham Brigades joined the National Front for the Liberation of Syria, which is affiliated with the Free Syria Army (FSA).

The sources told Anadolu Agency the development is aimed at the unification of FSA’s factions into one entity.

The National Front of Liberation will continue to operate under Fadlallah al Haji.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

This led to a military conflict between the Syrian opposition groups and the Assad regime over the war-torn country’s territory.

Iran has been supporting the Assad regime throughout the war, while Russia intervened on Assad's side in September 2015.

UN-brokered peace talks were launched in Geneva in 2012 aiming to find a political solution to the conflict. Turkey, Russia and Iran opened the Astana process in 2017 to focus on de-escalating the violence.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict, mainly by regime air strikes targeting opposition-held areas. Millions more have been displaced.

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