The pro-Turkish militias in Northern Syria create two rival maxi alliances. The first is the SLF and is made up of anti-HTS factions. The second is the AZM, loyal to the Qaedist group

Pro-Turkey militias in Northern Syria form a new alliance. It is called the Syrian Liberation Front (SLF) and is made up of al-Mu’tasem Division, al-Hamza Division, 20th Division, Suqur al-Sham Brigade, Sultan Suleiman Shah Division (al-Amshat) and other smaller groups. They are all rival factions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). In July, in fact, Operation Room AZM was established, which contains formations from the HTS galaxy. It includes Al-Jabaha al-Shamiya and Sultan Murad, but not only. The AZM had threatened the “rebels” to attack them if they did not join the initiative, surrounding the Amshat and Hamza Division base in Aleppo. At that point, the latter decided to create an entity similar to that of the “enemy” in order to defend themselves.

There is a risk of full-scale conflict in the quadrant

The creation of the SLF and the AZM confirms the rapid escalation of the war between pro-Turkish militias in Northern Syria. By now, the struggle to acquire or maintain weight in the area is no longer between individual groups, but between alliances. This exponentially increases the danger of a large-scale conflict with unpredictable outcomes. Furthermore, the Damascus Army (SAA) and Russia will take advantage of the situation to attack south and east of Idlib, further fueling the crisis.