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This is a list of military equipment [1] [2] used by Syrian opposition forces in the Syrian Civil War. This list does not include equipment used by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Large pieces of equipment like tanks and vehicles are generally captured from the Syrian Army, but small arms are a mixture of captured Syrian Army weapons, weapons imported by foreign combatants joining the opposition forces, or other sources. These include funding by private donors (notably from the Gulf region) and equipment supplied by friendly nations like Turkey.
The U.S. supplied a considerable amount of weapons and ammunition, of both American and Soviet-type from Eastern Europe, to Syrian rebel groups under operation Timber Sycamore. For example, Jane's Defence Weekly reported that in December 2015 the U.S. shipped 994 tonnes of weapons and ammunition (including packaging and container weight) to Syrian opposition fighters, mainly being to the Free Syrian Army. [3] [4]
Model | Image | Caliber | Type | Origin | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pistols | |||||
TT-33 | 7.62×25mm Tokarev | Recoil operated | Soviet Union | Commonly used by rebels, captured from the Syrian Arab Army. | |
Makarov PM [5] | 9×18mm Makarov | Blowback | Soviet Union | Commonly used by rebels, captured from the Syrian Arab Army. It is often seen with black grips intead of the reddish-brown one. [5] | |
Browning Hi-Power [5] [6] | 9×19mm Parabellum | Recoil operated tilting barrel | Belgium | Is an apparent popular pistol in Syria. | |
SIG P226 [5] | 9×19mm Parabellum 7.65mm Parabellum 9×21mm IMI .357 SIG .40 S&W | Recoil operated | Switzerland | Seen in a video of Al-Jazeera where former members of the Syrian regime were surrendering their weapons. | |
M1911 [5] [7] | .45 ACP | Short-Recoil-Operated | United States | Previously it has been seen and used rarely but has in recent times appeared more often. | |
Walther PPK [5] | 9×18mm Ultra | Straight-Blowback | Germany | Seen in a video of Al-Jazeera where former members of the Syrian regieme were surrendering their weapons. | |
Rifles and Carbines | |||||
Mosin–Nagant [8] | 7.62×54mmR | Bolt-action rifle | Soviet Union | Seen common service by snipers, who usually put modern optics on it. The Mosin Nagant 1891/30 variant is used most but the M1944 (or Bulgarian 91/59 mosin nagant) carbine are also used, though to a lesser extent. | |
MAS-36 [9] | 7.5×54mm French | Bolt-action rifle | French Third Republic | Seen moderate usage by snipers through 2013–2014 in Aleppo when in July 2013, the FSA (probably the 16th Division or some other branch of the FSA. 16th Division did use MAS-36s.) [10] captured large amounts of stockpiled MAS-36s from the Syrian Arab Army. Other rebel groups such as the Al-Tawhid Brigade also captured and used large amounts of MAS-36s captured from the Syrian Arab Army. Most rebel groups stopped using the MAS-36 around 2015, probably because the ammo ran out.[ citation needed ] | |
Karabiner 98k [11] | 7.92×57mm | Bolt-action rifle | Nazi Germany | ||
SKS [12] | 7.62×39mm | Semi-automatic rifle | Soviet Union | Somewhat uncommon usage. Usually when it is used, it is seen being used by marksmen attached with optics. | |
Heckler & Koch G3 [13] [14] | 7.62×51mm NATO | Battle rifle | West Germany Turkey | Sourced from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Used as a DMR. Used very rarely. | |
FN FAL [14] [15] [16] | 7.62×51mm NATO | Battle rifle | Belgium | Often used as Marksman Rifle and Operations Specialist Weapon, sourced from Libya and UAE. | |
MK14 EBR [17] | 7.62×51mm NATO | Battle rifle | United States | Rarely seen by the Free Syrian Army's Division 30 [18] [19] | |
Assault rifles and Carbines | |||||
StG 44 [20] [21] | 7.92×33mm Kurz | Assault rifle | Nazi Germany | On 8 August 2012, the FSA captured around 5,000 from a Syrian Arab Army storage container. | |
AK-47 | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Soviet Union | Isn't the most common gun in the war, but is used. The AKS-47 variant is also used. [22] | |
AKM | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Soviet Union | One of the most common weapons used by Syrian rebels. The AKMS version is more often seen than the AKM. | |
Type 56 | | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | People's Republic of China | Chinese variant of the Russian AK-47 and AKM. The Type-56 has been seen in use by various rebel groups. The Type-56-1 and Type-56-2 are also seen. |
Zastava M70 [23] | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Yugoslavia | Yugoslavian variant of the Russian AK-47 and AKM. | |
PM md. 63 | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Socialist Republic of Romania | Used commonly in the early part of the war. Isn't seen too commonly now. | |
AMD 65 [24] [25] | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Hungarian People's Republic | Has seen occasional use in both the beginning and the end of the fall of the Assad regieme. | |
vz. 58 [26] | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Czechoslovak Socialist Republic | In 2016, the Czech Republic donated 6,600 vz. 58 assault rifles to Iraqi and Kurdish regional governments to aid in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syira. [27] | |
AK-74 AKS-74 [28] | | 5.45×39mm | Assault rifle | Soviet Union | Mostly used by opposition special forces and elite units. Isn't too common elsewhere. |
AK-74M | 5.45×39mm | Assault rifle | Russia | Unknown quantity, captured during the Syrian Civil War. [28] | |
AK-103 | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Russia | Unknown quantity, captured during the Syrian Civil War. [28] | |
AK-105 [5] | 5.45×39mm | Assault rifle | Russia | Seen in a video of Al-Jazeera where former members of the Syrian regieme were surrendering their weapons. | |
AK-9 | 9×39mm | Assault rifle | Russia | Unknown quantity, captured during the Syrian Civil War. [28] | |
FB Tantal | 5.45×39mm | Assault rifle | Poland | Unknown quantity, captured during the Syrian Civil War. [28] | |
M16A1 M16A2 [25] | | 5.56×45mm NATO | Assault rifle | United States | Used by Division 30, the New Syrian Army, Al-Moutasem Brigade and Euphrates Shield rebels. The M16A1 was used commonly as a marksman rifle in the early parts of the war. |
M4 [29] | 5.56×45mm NATO | Carbine | United States | Really, really rare. Used in the late stages of the Civil War. | |
Norinco CQ [30] | 5.56×45mm NATO | Assault rifle | People's Republic of China | "Where they are coming from is not certain. Iran is known to have purchased CQ rifles and produce it under license, but rifles similar to those seen in the Middle East have been seen and manufactured under license in Sudan, the National Interest report said." said by the Asia times. | |
FAMAS [31] [32] | 5.56×45mm NATO | Assault rifle | France | Seen once in 2013, possibly smuggled out of Lebanon. | |
Steyr AUG [15] [33] | 5.56×45mm NATO | Assault rifle | Austria | Origin unclear; serial numbers removed. Used by Syrian Opposition special forces. [34] [35] Sometimes used by Syrian rebels as a marksman rifle. [36] | |
IMI Galil [25] | 5.56×45mm NATO | Assault rifle | Israel | Limited usage. | |
Sniper rifles and anti-material rifles | |||||
Steyr SSG 69 [37] | 7.62×51mm NATO | Sniper rifle | Austria | Is a common bolt-action rifle used by Syrian rebels. | |
Dragunov SVD | 7.62×54mmR | Designated marksman rifle | Soviet Union | The most common sniper rifle in the war. | |
Zastava M91 | 7.62×54mmR | Designated marksman rifle | Yugoslavia | ||
PSL | 7.62×54mmR 7.62×51mm NATO | Designated marksman rifle | Socialist Republic of Romania | ||
OSV-96 [38] | 12.7×108mm | Anti-materiel rifle | Russia | ||
M99 [39] | N/A | 12.7×108mm | Anti-materiel rifle | People's Republic of China | Supplied by Qatar. [40] Is one of the most common anti-material rifles used by Syrian rebels. |
Sayad-2 | .50 BMG | Anti-materiel rifle | Austria Iran | Unlicensed Iranian produced copy of the Steyr HS .50. Captured from the Syrian Army. [41] | |
PTRS-41 [42] | 14.5×114mm | Anti-tank rifle | Soviet Union | Used by rebels as an anti-material rifle . Has seen very limited use. | |
Submachine guns | |||||
Sterling submachine gun [43] | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine gun | United Kingdom | Rare. Unknown how it got there. | |
Sten [44] [25] | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine gun | United Kingdom | Possibly leftover from the 1948 arab-israeli war | |
Sa vz. 23 [25] [45] | 7.62×25mm Tokarev | Submachine gun | Czechoslovak Socialist Republic | ||
MAB 38 [46] | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine gun | Kingdom of Italy | Only one has been seen in the war. As of 2017. [46] | |
MP-40 [47] | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine gun | Nazi Germany | "Few MP-40s have been seen during the Syrian civil war, and of those that have, they appeared a year or two into the conflict.” “The Saudi-Croatian deal is one possibility” “as is Libya, which had bought some WWII-vintage MP-40s from Yugoslavia in the 1980s."[ citation needed ] | |
Beretta M12 [25] | 9×19mm Parabellum | Submachine gun | Italy | ||
Machine guns | |||||
RPD [48] [49] | 7.62×39mm | Light machine gun | Soviet Union | Uncommon usage by the 16th Division. | |
RPK [50] | 5.45×39mm | Light machine gun | Soviet Union | Common usage. | |
PKM | 7.62×54mmR | General-purpose machine gun | Soviet Union | ||
PKP Pecheneg | 7.62×54mmR | General-purpose machine gun | Russia | Unknown quantity, captured during the Syrian Civil War. | |
MG-34 [51] | 7.92×57mm Mauser | General-purpose machine gun | Nazi Germany | Captured from some Syrian stockpiles. Very rare usage but was one of the FSA's first machine guns looted from Syrian army warehouses.[ citation needed ] | |
M240B [52] | 7.62×51mm NATO | General-purpose machine gun | United States | Used by the SNA and Al-Moutasem Brigade and Euphrates Shield forces. | |
FN MAG [53] | 7.62×51mm | General-purpose machine gun | Belgium | ||
Ksp 58 [25] | 7.62×51mm | General-purpose machine gun | Sweden | ||
DShK [3] Type 54 HMG [ citation needed ] | 12.7×108mm | Heavy machine gun | Soviet Union People's Republic of China | Often mounted on technicals. Sometimes is planted in holes in walls or on flat surfaces when in lack of a tripod. Chinese copy of DShK. | |
NSV [54] Coyote M02 [55] | 12.7×108mm | Heavy machine gun | Soviet Union | Often seen being used behind cover mounted on a wall, jersey barrier or on some kind of improvised bipod. | |
W85 [30] [56] | 12.7×108mm | Heavy machine gun | People's Republic of China | Used very commonly. [30] Sometimes is planted in holes in walls or on flat surfaces when in lack of a tripod. [57] [58] | |
KPV [59] | 14.5×114mm | Heavy machine gun | Soviet Union | Often mounted on technicals. | |
M2 Browning [60] [61] [52] | 12.7×99mm NATO | Heavy machine gun | United States | Used by US-backed FSA groups, including the al-Mu'tasim Brigade and the Hamza Division. | |
M1919 Browning [25] [44] | .30-06 Springfield | Medium machine gun | United States | Seen at least once in the war. It's possible it was taken off a disabled Israeli vehicle during the Yom Kippur War or the 1980s fighting in Lebanon.[ citation needed ] | |
Vickers machine gun [44] | .303 British | Heavy machine gun | British Empire | Seen at least once in the war. May or may not be usable. | |
Model | Image | Diameter | Type | Origin | Details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shoulder-fired missiles | ||||||
SPG-82 [73] | 82 mm | Anti-tank rocket launcher | Soviet Union | |||
RPG-2 [ citation needed ] | 82 mm | Recoilless gun [74] | Soviet Union | Although the 104th Brigade of the Syrian Republican Guard had used them, [75] there is no proof of the Syrian Opposition using RPG-2 s. Syrian rebels did use Chinese Type-69 RPGs which could be mistaken as the RPG-2. [76] | ||
RPG-7 [3] | 40 mm (launcher only, warhead diameter varies) | Rocket-propelled grenade | Soviet Union | Very common, the most common anti-tank gun in Syria. | ||
RPG-18 [77] | 64 mm | Rocket-propelled grenade | Soviet Union | |||
RPG-22 [68] | 72.5 mm | Rocket-propelled grenade | Soviet Union | Supplied by Saudi Arabia. [70] | ||
RPG-26 [78] | 72.5 mm | Rocket-propelled grenade | Soviet Union | |||
RPG-29 [79] | 105 mm | Rocket-propelled grenade | Soviet Union | |||
RPG-75 [80] | 68 mm | Rocket-propelled grenade | Czechoslovak Socialist Republic | |||
M72 LAW [16] | 66 mm | Anti-tank rocket launcher | United States | Turkish HAR-66 (LAW copy) supplied by Turkey | ||
M79 Osa [68] [81] | 90 mm | Anti-tank rocket launcher | Yugoslavia | Supplied by Saudi Arabia. [70] | ||
RBR-120 mm M90 [82] | 120 mm | Anti-tank rocket launcher | Serbia / Macedonia | |||
Anti-tank guided weapons | ||||||
9M14 Malyutka [83] [84] | 125 mm | Wire-guided anti-tank missile | Soviet Union | Designated AT-3 Sagger by NATO. | ||
9K111 Fagot [3] [85] [84] | 120 mm | Wire-guided anti-tank missile | Soviet Union | Designated AT-4 Spigot by NATO. | ||
9M113 Konkurs [3] [86] [84] | 135 mm | Wire-guided anti-tank missile | Soviet Union | Captured from the Syrian Army and supplied by Saudi Arabia. [87] Designated AT-5 Spandrel by NATO. | ||
9K115 Metis [84] | 130 mm | Wire-guided anti-tank missile | Soviet Union | Designated AT-7 Spriggan by NATO. | ||
9K115-2 Metis-M [88] [84] | 130 mm | Wire-guided anti-tank missile | Russia | Designated AT-13 Saxhorn-2 by NATO. | ||
9M133 Kornet [89] [84] | 152 mm | Wire-guided anti-tank missile | Russia | Designated AT-14 Spriggan by NATO. | ||
HJ-8 [90] [91] | 120 mm | Wire-guided anti-tank missile | People's Republic of China | Supplied by Qatar from Sudan. [92] | ||
MILAN [93] [84] | 115 mm | Wire-guided anti-tank missile | France / West Germany | Captured from the Syrian Army and YPG. [94] Some supplied by Qatar or from Libyan National Army stocks. [95] | ||
BGM-71 TOW [96] [84] | 152 mm | Wire-guided anti-tank missile | United States | Allegedly supplied by the U.S., but origin remains "unclear"; serial numbers removed. [97] The TOW missile system has seen extensive use during the Hama Offensive by Syrian opposition forces, mainly against armoured vehicles from both the SAA and NDF. | ||
Model | Image | Diameter | Type | Origin | Details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Towed anti-aircraft guns | ||||||
ZU-23-2 [98] [84] | 23 mm | Anti-aircraft Autocannon | Soviet Union | Often mounted on technicals. | ||
37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K) [99] | 37 mm | Anti-aircraft Autocannon | Soviet Union | Mounted on technicals. | ||
57 mm AZP S-60 [100] | 57 mm | Anti-aircraft Autocannon | Soviet Union | |||
ZPU [72] [84] | 14.5×114mm | Anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | Based on the Soviet 14.5 mm KPV heavy machine gun. Often mounted on technicals. | ||
ZPU-4 [84] | 14.5×114mm | Anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | Mostly mounted on technicals. | ||
ZPU-1 [84] | 14.5×114mm | Anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | Mounted on technicals. | ||
Self-propelled air defense | ||||||
ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" [101] [84] | 23 mm | Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | Often used against ground targets in urban environments. | ||
9K33 Osa [102] | 209.6 mm 9M33 missile | Amphibious SAM system | Soviet Union | Two captured from the Syrian Armed Forces and used by Jaysh al-Islam and Jaysh al-Ahrar. | ||
Man-portable air-defense systems | ||||||
FN-6 [103] | 72 mm | Man-portable air-defense system | People's Republic of China | Supplied by Qatar. [104] | ||
9K32 Strela-2 [105] | 72 mm | Man-portable air-defense system | Soviet Union | Designated SA-7 Grail by NATO. | ||
9K310 Igla-1 [106] | 72 mm | Man-portable air-defense system | Soviet Union | Designated SA-16 Gimlet by NATO. | ||
9K338 Igla-S [107] | 72 mm | Man-portable air-defense system | Soviet Union | Designated SA-24 Grinch by NATO. | ||
FIM-92 Stinger [108] | 100 mm | Man-portable air-defense system | United States | Turkey reportedly helped to transport to a limited amount of FIM-92 Stingers to the Free Syrian Army | ||
Model | Image | Caliber | Type | Origin | Details | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mortars | ||||||
82-BM-37 [84] | 82 mm | Infantry mortar | Soviet Union | |||
2B9M Vasilek [109] | 82 mm | Gun-mortar | Soviet Union | Possible Chinese copy (W99). At least one in use by Ansar al-Sham. Unclear origin. Also being used by Syrian Turkmen Brigade. [110] [109] | ||
M1938 mortar [84] | 120 mm | Infantry mortar | Soviet Union | |||
120-PM-43 mortar [ citation needed ] | 120 mm | Infantry mortar | Soviet Union | |||
Soltam K6 | 120 mm | Infantry mortar | Israel | |||
Improvised mortars | N/A | Various | Improvised mortar | Syrian opposition / Hayat Tahrir al-Sham | ||
Field artillery | ||||||
10.5 cm leFH 18M | 105 mm | Howitzer | Nazi Germany | Probably looted from Syrian Army warehouses or from museums, according to N.R. Jenzen-Jones. [11] | ||
122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30) [84] | 122mm | Howitzer | Soviet Union | Captured during Ramouseh Artillery Base assault by Jaish al Fateh | ||
D-30 [84] | 122 mm | Howitzer | Soviet Union | Captured from the Syrian Army | ||
"Hell cannon" [111] | Various | Improvised artillery | Syrian opposition | Improvised howitzer that fires propane gas cylinders. Originated with the Ahrar al-Shamal Brigades, now used widely. | ||
M-46 [59] | 130 mm | Field gun | Soviet Union | |||
180 mm gun S-23 [112] | 180mm | Heavy gun | Soviet Union | Captured during Ramouseh Artillery Base assault by Jaish al Fateh | ||
152 mm howitzer 2A65 [84] | 152mm | Howitzer | Soviet Union | |||
Self-propelled artillery | ||||||
2S1 Gvozdika [113] [84] | 122 mm | Self propelled howitzer | Soviet Union | Armed with D-30 howitzer. | ||
2S3 Akatsiya [114] | 152.4 mm | Self propelled howitzer | Soviet Union | Armed with D-22 howitzer. | ||
Recoilless rifles | ||||||
B-10 [84] Type 65 | 82 mm | Recoilless rifle | Soviet Union People's Republic of China | Chinese copy of B-10. | ||
M60 [68] | Recoilless rifle | Yugoslavia | Supplied by Saudi Arabia. [70] | |||
M40 [115] | 105 mm | Recoilless rifle | United States | Possible Iranian copy. | ||
Carl Gustav 84mm [116] | 84 mm | Recoilless rifle | Sweden | |||
SPG-9 [84] | 73 mm | Recoilless rifle | Soviet Union | |||
Rocket artillery | ||||||
Type 63 [88] [84] | 106.7 mm | Multiple rocket launcher | People's Republic of China | Possible Iranian copy. [117] | ||
RAK-12 [118] [119] [120] | 128 mm | Multiple rocket launcher | Croatia | Croatian built version of Yugoslavian M-63 Plamen with 12 rockets tubes instead of the original 32. Supplied by Saudi Arabia. [70] | ||
Katyusha [121] [122] [123] | N/A | Multiple rocket launcher | Soviet Union | |||
BM-21 Grad [124] [125] [84] | 122 mm | Multiple rocket launcher | Soviet Union | Initially captured from the Syrian Army, [126] later supplied by Saudi Arabia from Bulgaria and Poland. [127] | ||
Grad-P | 122 mm | Light portable rocket system | Soviet Union | |||
Improvised rocket launchers [72] | Various | Improvised Rocket launcher | Syrian opposition / Hayat Tahrir al-Sham |
Model | Image | Type | Origin | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
T-54 [128] [84] | Medium tank Main battle tank | Soviet Union | Captured from the Syrian Army, at least one operated by the al-Tawhid Brigade and the Conquest Brigade as of September 2013. | |
T-55 [129] [84] | Medium tank Main battle tank | Soviet Union | Captured from the Syrian Army. | |
T-62 [130] | Main battle tank | Soviet Union | Captured from the Syrian Army. One of the most used tanks used by Syrian rebels. | |
T-72 [131] | Main battle tank | Soviet Union | Captured from the Syrian Army. At least 8 previously operated by Jaysh al-Islam. Liwa Dawood had another 6, then captured by ISIL. [132] Total numbers currently unknown | |
T-90 [133] | Main battle tank | Russia | 1 operated by Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki, captured from the Syrian Army. | |
BMP-1 [84] | Infantry fighting vehicle | Soviet Union | Captured from the Syrian Army. | |
BVP-1 AMB-S [134] | Military ambulance | Czechoslovak Socialist Republic | Captured from the Syrian Army. | |
BMP-2 | Infantry fighting vehicle | Soviet Union | Two BMP-2s were captured from Syrian Army when FSA overran Aleppo's Infantry School and another was destroyed in the fight for Aleppo's Central Prison. [135] | |
BTR-60PB [136] | Wheeled amphibious armoured personnel carrier | Soviet Union | Captured from the Syrian Army. | |
BRDM-2 [137] | Amphibious Armoured scout car | Soviet Union | Captured from the Syrian Army. | |
Humvee [ citation needed ] | Military light utility vehicle | United States | Some captured from ISIS and YPG/SDF. | |
Improvised fighting vehicles | Improvised fighting vehicle | Syrian opposition | Examples are the Sham 1 armored pickup truck and the Sham 2 armored car used by the Al-Ansar Brigade. [138] | |
Streit Cougar [ citation needed ] | Infantry mobility vehicle | Canada | ||
Streit Typhoon [ citation needed ] | MRAP | Canada | ||
Safir [ citation needed ] | Off-road military light utility vehicle | Iran | ||
Construction Vehicles[ citation needed ] | Hitachi, Hidromek, Poclain, Caterpillar, Hyundai, Develon, Bobcat, JCB and Volvo etc. | Various |
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The Aleppo offensive , code named Operation Dawn of Victory by government forces, was a successful military offensive launched by the Syrian Armed Forces and allied groups against rebel-held districts in Aleppo. The offensive came after the end of the moratorium on air strikes by Russia, and the Russian Armed Forces again conducted heavy air and cruise missile strikes against rebel positions throughout northwestern Syria. The offensive resulted in government forces taking control of all rebel-controlled parts of eastern and southern Aleppo, and the evacuation of the remaining rebel forces.
The National Front for Liberation is a Syrian rebel coalition that is part of the Syrian National Army (SNA) fighting in the Syrian Civil War. The group was formed by 11 rebel factions in northwestern Syria in May 2018, and was officially announced on 28 May 2018. The formation receives major support from Turkey. The group joined the SNA on 4 October 2019.
Fadlallah al-Haji is a Syrian rebel leader, close to Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood. Considered a "scrupulous military man" by other Syrian rebel leaders and a "Turkish protégé", al-Haji has led the Sham Legion since its formation in 2014. He was appointed chief of staff of the Syrian Interim Government's General Staff of its Ministry of Defence in 2017, and has been the commander-in-chief of the National Front for Liberation since its formation in 2018. The NFL merged with the Syrian National Army in October 2019, and al-Haji was appointed a deputy chief of staff of the SNA, continuing to preside over the NFL, which will restructure into four legions.
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