On February 29, 2024, the Syria Free Army (SFA), a militia receiving support and training from the United States government, announced the appointment of former ISIS leader Colonel Salem Turki al-Antari as its commander.
“We are excited for the new opportunities that [al-Antari] will bring to the SFA and the leadership he will provide,” the SFA said in a statement on Facebook. The SFA reiterated its objective to secure, stabilize, and defeat Da’esh or ISIS.
Al-Antari joined ISIS in 2014 and played essential roles in several attacks and battles led by ISIS from 2015 to 2017. He later joined the militant coalition Syrian National Army (SNA), supported by Turkey. Following the capture of Raqqa by US-backed Kurdish forces in 2017, Al-Antari became a part of the Maghawir al-Thawra militant group. This group became a part of the US-sponsored SFA in 2019 and operates from the Al-Tanf American base.
The US has been training these militants with the primary objective of combating ISIS. However, the presence of active ISIS cells around the Syrian desert near the Al-Tanf base continues to be a concern. Russian and Syrian authorities have accused the US of providing logistic aid to ISIS in these regions.
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