February 12, 2018

Syrian Rebels Seek Relevance by Joining Turkey's Offensive

Source: The New York Times

Journalist: Associated Press

Col. Moataz Raslan once flew MiG jets for the Syrian air force, until he defected to join rebel ranks fighting to oust President Bashar Assad. Today, he is a commander fighting alongside Turkey against Kurdish self-rule in north Syria.

After seven years of war, Syrian opposition forces are struggling to stay relevant in a country that's been carved up into spheres of interest by major powers. They've been beaten by the government, betrayed by jihadists and al-Qaida, abandoned by the U.S. and routed by the Islamic State group in north Syria.

Now in their alliance with Turkey, nearly 10,000 opposition fighters have turned their guns against Kurdish forces.

Read the full article in The Washington Post.

Author

  • Nicholas Heras

    Former Fellow, Middle East Security Program

    Nicholas A. Heras is a former Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), working in the Middle East Security Program. His work focused on the analysis of complex...