Turkey-backed SNA opens 1st military post in Syria's Azaz

The Hamza Division of the Syrian National Army (SNA) opened the army's first military post in the northwestern Syrian town of Azaz on Friday.

Designed to act not only as a military base but also a military training faculty, the Yasser Abu al-Sheikh post contains the necessary equipment for the accommodation and training of SNA soldiers.

The inauguration ceremony of the post took place with the participation of the head of the Syrian Interim Government, Abdurrahman Mustafa, the defense minister of the Interim Government and chief of defense, Selim Idris, as well as other army commanders.

The post was named after Yasser Abu al-Sheikh, one of the field commanders of the Hamza Division who was killed during Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016. Al-Sheikh's children also attended the ceremony.

Founded in 2011 by former officers from the Syrian Armed Forces who opposed the use of violence by the Syrian regime, the SNA is a military network that consists of many Arab, Turkmen and Kurdish subgroups and ultimately aims to bring down the Syrian regime.

Although initially formed by former soldiers of the Syrian military, civilians also joined the group, and today the estimated number of members is more than 25,000.

The SNA is one of the most remarkable opposition groups in Syria to this day, especially thanks to the support it receives from Turkey.

Azaz was liberated from Daesh terrorists by the Turkish military and aligned Syrian opposition forces during the 2016 Operation Euphrates Shield. Since then, the town has become an area with a high concentration of displaced people and the main hub of Turkish relief efforts.

Euphrates Shield was the beginning of a series of operations by Turkey, with the participation of the SNA, against the YPG terrorists, the PKK's branch in northern Syria. Since then, Turkey later launched three more successful anti-terrorist operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of locals: Olive Branch (2018), Peace Spring (2019) and Spring Shield (2020).

Meanwhile, civil and military units in Syria's northeastern Ras al-Ain district, which was liberated from YPG terrorists in October 2019 as part of Operation Peace Spring, met Thursday to discuss ongoing efforts to ensure stability and development in the region.

SNA commanders, members of tribes and local councils attended the meeting.

During his opening speech, Halil Rzeyko, the leader of the Syrian tribe of al-Sharabin, thanked the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), the Turkish people and Ankara for their support for the SNA during the operation.

Commander Avad Rahmun said a joint commission consisting of military police and the SNA was established to restore the rights of civilians who suffered injustice in the region.