page_title: Free Syrian Army
section_title: 2017 – Internal divisions, rise of Syrian National Army
hierarchical_section_title: Free Syrian Army / History / 2017 – Internal divisions, rise of Syrian National Army
caption_attribution_description: English: Fighters of the al-Bab military council declare on 10.02.2017 that they would capture al-Bab from ISIL in the next few hours (They eventually took control of the town two weeks later).
context_page_description: The Free Syrian Army is a loose faction in the Syrian Civil War founded on 29 July 2011 by officers of the Syrian Armed Forces whose stated goal was to bring down the government of Bashar al-Assad. A formal organization at its founding, its structure gradually dissipated by late 2012, and the FSA identity has since been used by various unconnected opposition groups.
  In late 2011, it was considered the main Syrian military defectors' group, enjoying success against better armed government forces. From July 2012 onward, ill-discipline, infighting, and lack of funding weakened the FSA, while Islamist groups became dominant within the armed opposition.
  The FSA declared itself "the military wing of the Syrian people's opposition to the regime". It aimed to bring down the Syrian government by encouraging army defections and carrying out armed action. As the Syrian Army was highly organized and well-armed, the FSA adopted guerrilla-style tactics in the countryside and cities. The FSA's military strategy focused on a dispersed countrywide guerrilla campaign with a tactical focus on armed action in the capital of Damascus.
context_section_description: The year 2017 saw the FSA further divided. Rebel factions operating under the banner of the Syrian Interim Government have merged in a unified armed group. Jawad Abu Hatab, the head of the opposition's Interim government and the Defense Minister, announced its official formation after meeting with moderate rebel commanders in the town of Azaz in Aleppo province. The newly-formed body has 22,000 fighters, some of them have been trained and equipped by Turkey.
  On 23 February 2017, the important city of al-Bab was completely captured from ISIL by the SNA, along with the towns of Qabasin and Bizaah. As of 25 February 2017, 50,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey have returned to the areas which were taken from ISIL by the SNA.
  Also, in the south of the country at the frontier with Jordan, FSA units (the largest being Southern Front) remained on frontlines with the Syrian government and ISIL in Daraa and Quneitra Governorates.
  On the other hand, in September 2017, the founder of the FSA, Col. Riad al-Asaad, was appointed as deputy prime minister for military affairs of the Syrian Salvation Government (an alternative government of the Syrian Opposition seated within Idlib Governorate).
caption: Syrian National Army fighters during the Battle of al-Bab
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