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Syrian National Army

The Syrian National Army (SNA;[30] 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),[31][32][33] 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.[34]

Not to be confused with Syrian Armed Forces or Syrian Army.

Syrian National Army

Salem al-Meslet
(President of SIG)
Abdurrahman Mustafa
(Prime Minister of SIG)
Brig. Gen. Hasan Hamadah
(Minister of Defense and Chief of Staff)
Brig. Gen. Adnan al-Ahmad
(Deputy Chief of Staff)
Brig. Gen. Fadlallah al-Haji
(Deputy Chief of Staff)

2017[5]–present

Syrian opposition Syrian Interim Government[5]

Azaz, Aleppo Governorate

Northern Syria

Western Libya[6]

Karabakh (during the 2020 war)[7]

Syrian opposition
Anti-Assadism

Factions:

Syrian nationalism
Sunni Islamism
Salafism
Kurdish nationalism
Anti-Kurdish sentiment
Turkish nationalism
Neo-Ottomanism
Turanism
Democracy
Secularism
  • 22,000[8]–35,000[9] (2017–19, prior to merger with NFL)
  • 80,000–100,000 (since October 2019, after merger with NFL, reported)[10][11][12]

 Turkey[13]
 Qatar[14]
 Azerbaijan[15]
 Niger[16][17]
Libya Government of National Accord[18]

Syrian Arab Armed Forces[13]
Armenia Armenia[7]
Republic of Artsakh Artsakh (until 2023)[7]
Syrian Democratic Forces[19][20]
Northern Democratic Brigade[21]
Tahrir al-Sham (sometimes)[22][23][24]
 Islamic State[25]
Libya Libyan National Army
 Russia[26]
 Iran[26]

Syrian Civil War

Libyan Civil War (2014–2020)[18]

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict[7]

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.[35] After Turkey formally condemned the regime of Bashar al-Assad in November 2011,[36] it provided arms, training, and sanctuary to the FSA.[37] Initially the principal opponent of the Syrian government,[38] the FSA was gradually weakened by infighting, lack of funding, and rival Islamist groups.[39] 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;[34] following Operation Euphrates Shield, the Turkish government coordinated with the Syrian Interim Government to form a "National Army" to secure Turkish territorial gains.[40]


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.[41][42] Its presence expanded to the neighboring Idlib Governorate during the Syrian government's 2019 northwestern offensive,[28][29] after which it incorporated the National Front for Liberation on 4 October 2019.[34]


Closely aligned with the Turkish government,[43] the SNA has been described as an auxiliary army of the Turkish Armed Forces[44] and as "mercenaries" by their critics.[45][46] Outside Syria, SNA fighters have been deployed by Turkey as a proxy force[47][48] in conflicts from Libya to the south Caucasus.[49][50] The SNA mostly consists of Arabs and Syrian Turkmen.[51]

Operations outside Syria

Libya

Since 2020, Turkey has been hiring and transporting fighters from the Syrian National Army to support and bolster the manpower of the Libyan GNA.[154] Several SNA member groups volunteered for the operation despite strong objections of the Syrian Interim Government.[6] Up to 481 have died in combat.[155]

Azerbaijan

In September 2020, Turkey deployed 2,580 fighters from the Syrian National Army to fight in Nagorno-Karabakh,[7] where according to SOHR, up to 541 have died in combat.[156]

Niger

In January 2024, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Turkey had deployed SNA fighters to participate in the anti-ISIS campaign in Niger.[157] By May 2024, an additional 250 members of the SNA's Sultan Murad Division had been dispatched to Niger by Turkey's National Intelligence Organization.[158][16][17]