page_title: Syrian National Army
section_title: 2019: Operation Dawn of Idlib and Operation Peace Spring
hierarchical_section_title: Syrian National Army / Operational history / 2019: Operation Dawn of Idlib and Operation Peace Spring
caption_attribution_description: Türkçe: Azez’den Akçakale’ye gelen ve Geçici Barınma Merkezi'ne getirilen ÖSO konvoyu.
context_page_description: The Syrian National Army, also described as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army, is an armed Syrian opposition structure. Though concentrated in Turkish-occupied areas, originally as a part of Operation Euphrates Shield, the SNA also established a presence in the Idlib Governorate during the 2019 northwestern Syria offensive, and consolidated its presence there when the National Front for Liberation joined the SNA on 4 October 2019.
  The formation of the SNA was officially announced on 30 December 2017 in Azaz. The official aims of the structure are to assist the Republic of Turkey in creating a "safe zone" in Syria, and to establish a "National Army". While nominally the SNA has a unitary structure answerable to the Syrian Interim Government, its constituent groups have retained their pre-SNA forms and each answers directly to Turkey.
context_section_description: By 16 August, the SNA sent considerable reinforcements to the frontlines of Hama and Idlib, where the Syrian Arab Army was launching an offensive against HTS and various rebel groups. They included a large number of fighters from the Turkish-held regions of Northern Syria. Following this, rebel forces launched another heavy attack on the government-held village of Sukayk. 
  On 9 October 2019, Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Syrian National Army, had launched what they called Operation Peace Spring against SDF to eradicate what Turkish President Erdogan called "the threat of terror" against Turkey. On the 13th of October, Peace Spring forces captured the border town of tal Abyad. After the conclusion of the Second Battle of Ras al-Ayn on the 20th of October, SDF fighters retreated from the border town of Ras al Ain during the cease fire, which was brokered by the United States and Turkey. On 25 november, the operation was completed, after securing the territories between Ras al Ayn and tal Abyad.
caption: Syrian National Army fighters on 12 October 2019
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