May 2015 – December 2016 (New Syrian Army)December 2016 – November 2022 (Revolutionary Commando Army)November 2022 – May 2025 (Syrian Free Army)[3][12]
The group was known for corruption, which led to theU.S. Central Command dismissing its former top official Mohanad al-Tala in 2022.[31] In the aftermath, following an alleged U.S. Central Command attempt to integrate the group into theSyrian Democratic Forces, it rebranded as the Syrian Free Army.[32]
The New Syrian Army was established by remnants of the Allahu Akbar Brigade, part of theAuthenticity and Development Front and formerly based inAbu Kamal.[33][34] The NSA was formed on 20 May 2015, and its fighters were trained inJordan.[6]
On 16 November 2015, the New Syrian Army was deployed atal-Tanf in southeastern Syria, nearIraq andJordan, and carried out a raid, with or without US aerial support. No further information was given.[35]
On 5 March 2016, the NSA and another FSA group, theForces of Martyr Ahmad al-Abdo, captured the al-Tanf border crossing from ISIL in a cross-border raid from Jordan.[36]
In May 2016, an Islamic State suicide attack struck an NSA base near al-Tanf, which resulted in a large number of casualties. The attack brought to the surface underlying tensions and a lack of morale within the group, whose members alleged that the US failed to provide them with the equipment promised.[21]
In June 2016, the NSA's base near al-Tanf was hit by multiplecluster bombs fromRussian airstrikes, killing 2 and injuring 18.[37] Russia denied responsibility for the airstrike, although photos released by the NSA identified the bombs as Russian RBK-500 cluster bombs which were delivered fromKhmeimim Air Base inLatakia.[38]
The Ghosts of the Desert (Arabic:أشباح الصحراء) was an NSA-affiliated anti-ISIL insurgent group that covertly operated in ISIL-held towns in southeastern Syria and southwestern Iraq such as Abu Kamal,Mayadin, andal-Qaim.[citation needed] Since March 2016, they initially sprayedgraffiti and raised Syrian and Iraqi flags in the towns, but began to conduct covert military activities the next month, such assabotage,assassinations of ISIL fighters, and marking positions for airstrikes. The group suppliedmilitary intelligence to theUS Air Force that allowed them to killAbu Waheeb in May 2016 in the Iraqi town ofRutbah after the group marked his location.[13]
Members of the Revolutionary Commando Army and aUS Army soldier repair awater well in Al-Tanf.
In December 2016, the New Syrian Army dissolved after internal disputes. Some of its remnants regrouped under the name Revolutionary Commando Army (RCA), led byCaptain Abdullah al-Zoubi.[7]
On 30 April 2017, the RCA launched an offensive into eastern Syria, reaching theDeir ez-Zor Governorate and capturing the village of Humaymah, south of the T2 pumping station.[41][42] Two days later, the rebels attacked and captured several sites in the region, including: Tarwazeh al-Wa'er, Sereit al-Wa'er, Mount Ghrab, Swab desert, al-Kamm Swab, the T3 Pumping Station, Me'izeileh and Tarwazeh al-Attshaneh.[43] On 6 May, FSA groups including the RCA captured several sites in the Badiya region of Homs Governorate to the south ofPalmyra including Dahlouz and al-Halbeh areas.[44] The RCA was supplied withIAG Guardianarmoured personnel carriers by the US during the operation.[45]
In late November 2017, at least 180 fighters in the RCA were relieved of duty. According to theUnited States Central Command, the fighters "completed their military service", while according to the group's spokesman, they were removed due to their "weak performance". As result, between 40 and 60 fighters were left in the group.[9] The unit increased in numbers after that point, withc. 300 fighters serving with the RCA by October 2018.[17]
In 2021, reports emerged that several explosions took place in al-Tanf. The RCA stated that they came from training exercises that it was conducting in the region.[46] On 20 October 2021, the RCA, other opposition elements at al-Tanf, and the US garrison therewere attacked by drones, causing no injuries.[47]
On 23 September 2022, the US-led coalition dismissed RCA's commander Brigadier General Muhannad Ahmad and replaced him with Captain Muhammad Farid, a former leader of the Qaryatayn Martyrs' Brigade. This caused a group of RCA leaders styling themselves as the military council of RCA to reject the new leader and seize control of part of the al-Tanf base, leading to a brief siege in which the military council was confronted by the main RCA group and US forces, submitting to the new leadership soon after.[4]
Following another meeting with US forces, the group changed its name to the "Syrian Free Army" on 23 October 2022.[48]
On 29 February 2024, the Syrian Free Army announced the appointment ofSalem Turki al-Antri as their new leader, replacing Muhammad Farid al-Qasim. The announcement was made through a statement and photos on the group's official website at the US-operated al-Tanf military base in eastern Homs Governorate. The group expressed excitement about the new opportunities al-Antri's leadership will provide.[2]
In a late January 2025 interview between Lizzie Porter ofAbu Dhabi–based newspaperThe National and the group's leader,Salem Turki al-Antri, he stated that the amount of land controlled by the SFA has tripled, from 55 to more than 150 square kilometers of land.[51]
On 30–31 March, during Eid al-Fitr, SFA soldiers arrived inal-Dumayr at the request of theMinistry of Interior to assistGeneral Security, helping to reduce motorcycle movement and distributing mine awareness leaflets. The SFA media office denied rumors that SFA and US forces were planning on turningal-Dumayr Air Base into an American base.[53]
On 17 May, the SFA announced its continued deployment atal-Seen Airport [ar].[54] Three days later, delegates from the Ministry of Defense conducted an inspection tour at the airport.[55]
The Jerusalem Post indicated that the Syrian Free Army was part of the new 70th Division under the Ministry of Defense, as of June 2025.[56] However, these soldiers were transferred to the jurisdiction of theMinistry of Interior at the end of October of the same year.[29]
Free Syrian Army
Islamic State[28]
Syrian Arab Armed Forces.svg)
