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The U.S.-led coalition is rebranding its main proxy in the southeastern Syrian area of al-Tanf, Maghaweir al-Thowra (MaT), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on October 23.
According to the London-based monitoring group, the coalition will change the name of the proxy group to the “Army of Free Syria”. The decision was made during a recent meeting between senior officers from the coalition and MaT leader Muhammad Farid Qassem at al-Tanf garrison.
The new name resembles that of the Free Syrian Army, which was used by countless rebel groups early on in the Syrian war.
Last month, the U.S.-led coalition appointed Qassem, a former captain of the Syrian military, as the new leader of the MaT. Qassem replaced the founder of the group Muhanad Tala, who was reportedly expelled from al-Tanf by the coalition.
The appointment of Qassem, who is known to be a violent radical, was initially rejected by MaT militants as well as civilians in al-Tanf and the nearby Rukban refugee camp. However, Qassem assumed his position eventually with direct support from the coalition.
The MaT maintains at least 300 militants in the coalition al-Tanf garrison, where some 200 U.S. troops are usually deployed.
By appointing a radical as the leader of the MaT and then replacing the name of the group with a more general one, the U.S.-led coalition may be preparing to launch a new insurgency against Syrian government forces from al-Tanf. Any such move will likely be met with a response from Damascus and its allies.
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