Click to see full-size image. Via X.
The so-called 8th Brigade in the southern Syrian governorate of Daraa announced that it was dissolving itself on April 13, just days after engaging in a confrontation with the country’s Islamist-led interim government.
Fighters of the brigade , which is led by Ahmad al-Awda, were accused last week of killing Ahmed al-Daroubi, a former member of the faction who recently joined government forces. After a round of clashes, the command of the brigade accepted an agreement that saw the deployment of the General Security Service (GSS) in its stronghold, the town of Busra in the eastern Daraa countryside.
In a statement, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Al-Hawrani, a spokesman for the 8th Brigade, announced that the faction was dissolving itself, handing over all of its assets to the Ministry of Defense and appointing a commander to coordinate the process.
The decision was made out of “a desire to preserve national unity, enhance security and stability, and adhere to the state’s sovereignty and authority,” the spokesman added, noting that this step is meant to “strengthen the nation’s progress under the umbrella of the Syrian state.”
Shortly after the announcement, it was reported that the GSS had taken over all of the factions’ military and security sites in Busra, including two prisons.
Click to see full-size image. Via X.
Click to see full-size image. Via X.
Al-Awda, who led the rebel Youth of Sunna Forces from 2014, formed the 8th Brigade after reconciling with the Assad regime in 2018.
The faction, which was under the command of the Syrian Arab Army’s 5th Corps, was primarily made of reconciled rebels. It received backing from Russia until it re-affiliated with the Syrian Military Intelligence in 2021.
Amid the rebel offensive of 2024, al-Awda defected back to the rebels and spearheaded the attack on the capital, Damascus, toppling the regime of former president Bashar al-Assad. Still, he faced much criticism over his past ties with Russia and close relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Interestingly, the decision to dissolve the faction came right after Syria’s interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa landed in the UAE where he met with president Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
While the dissolution of the faction appears to be the end of al-Awda’s influence, it is still too early to write out the prominent commander and his forces.
Over more than a decade of war in Syria many factions in the south and other regions announced their dissolution after facing some pressure, but didn’t go through with the process. Al-Awda, an experienced survivor, may be playing this game, yet again.
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