In the vanguard of Syrian revolt before being ripped apart by division and indiscipline, the Free Syrian Army has returned as a key component of Turkey's offensive against Kurdish militants.

The broad-ranging coalition styled itself as the moderate force against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but lacked the funding and support to compete with extremist groups such as Al-Nusra and the Islamic State (IS) when they emerged around 2012.

Having all but disappeared for several years, the Free Syrian Army regained the spotlight in 2016 when it participated alongside Turkish forces in Ankara's first incursion into northern Syria against IS.

But images of FSA fighters posing with mutilated bodies of Kurdish militants and looting stores during a second Turkish operation in Afrin two years later undermined their reputation for moderation.

The group recently rebranded itself as the Syrian National Army (SNA), under the authority of the opposition's "interim government" in exile, based in Turkey.

They are armed, trained and paid by Ankara, and once again joined Turkish soldiers this week as part of "Operation Peace Spring", launched on Wednesday against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria.

"The Syrian National Army is the indigenous component of the Turkish operation. It's an important infantry force for the offensive," said Emre Kursat Kaya, of the EDAM think-tank in Istanbul.

"The group is formed around Sunni Arab and Turkmen fighters who are locals of the region. Thus, their presence in the operation provides an undeniable intelligence advantage."

The SNA now claims to have some 80,000 men at its disposal, having boosted its ranks earlier this month by integrating another coalition, the National Liberation Front, based primarily in Idlib province.

Some 14,000 of its fighters have been mobilised for the new operation, according to the group's spokesman, Major Yusuf Hamoud.

"That number can increase as the battle unfolds," he told AFP.

A large number of these fighters come from areas targeted by the Turkish offensive, he said, which is aimed at pushing back the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia.

"These soldiers were forced to leave when the YPG took control" of territories such as Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain, he added.

- 'Tight control' -

Turkey has so far deployed around 1,000 SNA soldiers in the Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain areas, estimates Charles Lister, of the Middle East Institute.

"For now, the SNA appears to be operating under the tight control of the Turkish military and Ankara is using them as the primary force," he told AFP.

Lister said this mirrored the way that the US had used the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in their battle against the Islamic State group.

"Their role is crucial for now," Lister said. "Turkey's strategy is not just to train these forces, but to give them sufficient operational experience so that once territory is captured they will operate as capable hold-forces wholly loyal to Ankara."

The challenge now will be to ensure that there is no repeat of the rights violations seen during their last deployment in Afrin.

The United States has warned Turkey that any abuses will result in severe economic sanctions.

In a statement published on Saturday, the SNA's "chief of staff" called on all commanders in the field "permanently supervise fighters on the frontline to prevent any violations or abuses."

Kaya, of the EDAM think-tank, believes Turkey will have taken measures to minimise these risks.

"These forces have been intensively trained by Turkish forces for this operation," he said.

"Turkey chose the most professional Syrian moderate forces to participate in this operation. We should also mention that elite Turkish commando forces on the ground will supervise the offensives and react to any excesses," he added.

Pentagon says up to 1,000 US troops to withdraw from northern Syria
Washington (AFP) Oct 14, 2019 - The Pentagon said Sunday President Donald Trump had ordered the withdrawal of up to 1,000 troops from northern Syria -- almost the entire ground force in the war-torn country -- amid an intensifying Turkish assault on Kurdish forces.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the move came after the US learned that Turkey was pressing further into Syria than expected.

The Kurds -- with whom the US partnered to combat the Islamic State (IS) group -- later announced they had reached a deal with the regime in Damascus to deploy Syrian troops near the border to confront the Turkish offensive.

"We have American forces likely caught between two opposing advancing armies and it's a very untenable situation," Esper told CBS's "Face the Nation."

"So I spoke with the president last night after discussions with the rest of the national security team and he directed that we begin a deliberate withdrawal of forces from northern Syria."

Esper said he was unable to provide a timeline because of the changing situation on the ground, but added that the withdrawal would be carried out in a "very safe, deliberate manner."

"It's a very terrible situation over there, a situation caused by the Turks... Despite our opposition they decided to make this incursion into Syria," Esper told CBS.

"And at this point in time in the last 24 hours we learned that they likely intend to expand their attack further south than originally planned and to the west."

- Bipartisan firestorm -

Esper also pointed to a possible deal -- confirmed later Sunday by the Kurdish administration in northern Syria -- on a Syrian troop deployment near the border with Turkey to help the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) confront Ankara's offensive.

The US withdrawal announcement came after its troops came under artillery fire Friday which the Pentagon said was from Turkish positions.

Asked if troops would be leaving the country altogether, Esper clarified that the withdrawal was just from northern Syria, "which is where most of our forces are."

Fighting raged Sunday along the border on the fifth day of an offensive that has provoked an international outcry and left dozens of civilians and fighters dead.

Ankara launched the long-threatened offensive against the SDF, which it considers "terrorists" linked to insurgents inside Turkey, after Trump ordered special forces serving as a trip wire against Turkish action to pull back from the border.

The withdrawal provoked a bipartisan firestorm of criticism in the US and accusations that Trump was abandoning a loyal ally in the fight against IS militants.

- 'Derelict in his duty' -

"The president is simply derelict in his duty as president. He is making Americans much less safe, he is undoing years of work to curb (IS)," top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said in a statement on Sunday.

"He is making America more susceptible to terrorism by his actions."

Trump hit back, describing the US withdrawal as "very smart."

"The Kurds and Turkey have been fighting for many years... Others may want to come in and fight for one side or the other. Let them! We are monitoring the situation closely. Endless Wars!" he said.

Hundreds of relatives of foreign jihadists have escaped from a displacement camp in northern Syria, Kurdish authorities said Sunday, as the number of people fleeing the Turkish assault soared to 130,000.

Ankara's offensive sparked fears that thousands of IS fighters held by Syrian Kurdish forces could break free.

Trump tweeted on Sunday that "the U.S. has the worst of the ISIS prisoners," using an acronym for IS, but added: "Turkey and the Kurds must not let them escape."

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Friday that Trump had authorized -- but not yet activated -- new sanctions to dissuade Turkey from further offensive military action.

"We can shut down all US dollar transactions with the entire government of Turkey," Mnuchin told ABC on Sunday.

"It's something we may do. There's full authority and something at a moment's notice the president can tell me to do."

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Turkish air strikes hit northeast Syria near border: monitor
Beirut (AFP) Oct 9, 2019
Turkish air strikes hit a border area in northeast Syria on Wednesday, a war monitor said moments after Ankara announced the start of an operation against Syria's Kurds. In the Ras al-Ain border region, an AFP correspondent heard loud explosions and saw clouds of white smoke towering overhead. The journalist said Turkish artillery fire also hit the region, adding that he saw dozens of civilians flee in cars and on motorbikes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said "air stri ... read more