Feb 28, 2018

ALEPPO, Syria — Islamist opposition movements Ahrar al-Sham and Nureddin Zengi Brigade joined forces Feb. 18, forming a unified body called the Syrian Liberation Front. The announcement by two of the largest opposition factions operating in northern Syria follows weeks of consultations between the factions’ senior leaders.

The movements' decision to unite grew out of concern involving elevated tensions between Free Syrian Army factions and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the north of Syria. HTS has been fighting Ahrar al-Sham and Nureddin Zengi Brigade after the two group's supporters accused HTS of failing to counter the regime’s assault on the Idlib countryside in early 2018. Prior to the unification, clashes had erupted between HTS and the Nureddin Zengi Brigade in November 2017 and between HTS and Ahrar al-Sham in August 2017. Mediation efforts in November by independent figures and clerics failed to reconcile the warring parties.

The Syrian Liberation Front said it seeks to serve as a shield for the Syrian people and revolution, and to take part in building the “institutions and future army of a free Syria.” The statement indicated that the Syrian Liberation Front does not seek to “monopolize the revolution’s decision-making or to be its only political representative” and called on all of the Syrian military opposition factions to "join the new front and turn it into an active institution unifying the Syrian revolution and rendering it victorious.”

Hassan Sofian, who served as general commander of Ahrar al-Sham, becomes the front’s general commander and Tawfiq Shihabuddin, who previously served as general commander of Nureddin Zengi Brigade, was appointed as his deputy. Hussam Atrash became political bureau head and Khaled Abu Al-Yaman its military commander in chief.

Mohammed Adib, who works in the Syrian Liberation Front's media office, told Al-Monitor that the talks took nearly a month and a half to work out the organizational aspects of the merger.