Syrian National Army
Coalition of armed Syrian opposition groups / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Syrian National Army (SNA;[27] Arabic: الجيش الوطني السوري, romanized: al-Jayš al-Waṭanī as-Sūrī), previously the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and also known as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA),[28][29][30] is a coalition of armed Syrian opposition groups in the Syrian Civil War. Comprising various rebel factions that emerged at the onset of the war in July 2011, it was officially established in 2017 under the auspices of Turkey, which provides funding, training, and military support.[31]
The SNA has its roots in the FSA, a loose collection of armed opposition groups founded on 29 July 2011 by defected Syrian military officers.[32] After Turkey formally condemned the regime of Bashar al-Assad in November 2011,[33] it provided arms, training, and sanctuary to the FSA.[34] Initially the principal opponent of the Syrian government,[35] the FSA was gradually weakened by infighting, lack of funding, and rival Islamist groups.[36] In August 2016, Turkey began assembling a new coalition of Syrian rebel groups, which included many former FSA fighters, in an effort to create a more cohesive and effective opposition force;[31] following Operation Euphrates Shield, the Turkish government coordinated with the Syrian Interim Government to form a "National Army" to secure Turkish territorial gains.[37]
The official aims of the SNA are to create a "safe zone" in northern Syria, consolidate with other rebel factions, and combat both Syrian government forces and Islamists.[38][39] Its presence expanded to the neighboring Idlib Governorate during the Syrian government's 2019 northwestern offensive,[25][26] after which it incorporated the National Front for Liberation on 4 October 2019.[31]
Closely aligned with the Turkish government,[40] the SNA has been described as an auxiliary army of the Turkish Armed Forces[41] and as "mercenaries" by their critics.[42][43] Outside Syria, SNA fighters have been deployed by Turkey as a proxy force[44][45] in conflicts from Libya to the south Caucasus.[46][47] The SNA mostly consists of Arabs and Syrian Turkmen.[48]