This week in northern Syria
#64: February 24 - March 1
02/24/24: SNA alliance al-Quwwah al-Mushtarikah - consisting of factions Furqat al-Hamzah and Furqat al-Sultan Suleiman Shah - published a video of a TOW strike targeting an SDF position in the village of Shwarghat al-Arz, on the Afrin/al-Shahba’ front lines. This was apparently the first TOW video from Syria since October 2023, as appearances of the American-made anti-tank weapon are increasingly rare the further away we get from the 2014-2017 CIA operation that supplied them to vetted opposition groups. Furqat al-Hamzah, led by longtime Turkish intelligence asset Sayf Abu Bakr, received support from the US Department of Defense as part of its ill-fated anti-Islamic State train and equip program but was not involved in the CIA operation. Furqat al-Sultan Suleiman Shah is a (2016) rebranding of Liwa’ Khatt al-Nar, an Idlib/Hamah-based opposition faction that was temporarily affiliated with TOW recipient Jabhat Thuwar Suriya (SRF) but to my knowledge did not receive the anti-tank missiles itself. Evidently there is still some sort of TOW backstock kicking around northern Syria in SNA arms depots.
02/24/24: The SNA Military Police uncovered an IED cache in Afrin following the reported arrest of an allegedly SDF-affiliated cell responsible for bombings in the region.
02/24/24: North Press Agency published new footage showing SNA-linked logging operations in somewhere in Afrin’s Sharran subdistrict.
02/25/24: The SDF announced the arrest of 16 suspected Islamic State members in al-Hasakah city. This came after three Islamic State attacks in al-Hasakah and one in al-Qamishli over the course of the preceding month.
02/26/24: A video circulated showing a group of men and boys beating a woman on the side of al-Raqqah/Tell al-Samn road, causing a large enough uproar that the incident was covered on BBC Arabic. Local media reported that this was an ‘honor beating’ carried out by members of the victim’s family. The Asayish later arrested three individuals involved in the beating shown in the video and the beating of the victim’s sister.
02/27/24: Female activist Hibah Hajj ‘Arif was discovered hanging from a noose inside her house in the opposition-controlled town of Biza’ah, located east of al-Bab. Initially SIG president ‘Abd al-Rahim Mustafa put out a press statement calling referring to ‘the murder’ of Hibah Hajj ‘Arif. However, after several days of investigation the al-Bab Security Directorate ruled the cause of death to be suicide, releasing a number of suspects detained in days prior. Numerous organizations have disputed this ruling, as Hajj ‘Arif had faced numerous threats over the years. Prior to her most recent work as a teacher Hajj ‘Arif had been a member of the Biza’ah Local Council but was forced to step down due to threats relating to her having pro-regime family members. One acquaintance Syria Direct spoke to alleged some of these threats came from members of Furqat al-Hamzah, the main SNA faction present in Biza’ah.
02/28/24: The Syrian Interim Government’s Ministry of Defense announced that Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki and Maghawir al-Sham were joining the Syrian National Army under the names 19th Division and 7th Division, respectively. Both factions have been present in Afrin since soon after the region was captured by Turkey and the SNA, though had not been incorporated into the later. Maghawir al-Sham is a recent rebranding of one of the several Ahrar al-Sham splinters active outside Idlib, this one being the anti-HTS, Afrin-based faction led by Yousef al-Hamawi. The move into the SNA’s ranks seems to mean that Zenki has left Tajammu’ al-Shahba’, the group it founded with “Ahrar ‘Awlan” and Division 50/Ahrar al-Tawhid one year ago.
02/28/24: Turkey conducted several drone strikes targeting cars in traveling in the ‘Bec du Canard’ (French mandate-era name for al-Hasakah’s northeast), killing three members of the Syriac Christian Sutoro security forces, affiliated with the Asayish. The strikes destroyed two cars and damaged a roadside restaurant at the entrance to Dêrik and a third just north of Xana Serê/Khan al-Jabal.
Destroyed car outside Xana Serê (source) 
Despite being a member of Syriac Christian security organization Sutoro one of the three victims was a Muslim (left) 02/28/24: Local reported Muhammed Hasan published drone footage showing an oil leak contaminating the Radd river, a tributary of the Khabour located northeast of al-Hasakah city. According to AANES officials the leak was caused by Turkish airstrikes targeting oil facilities further upriver. This is certainly possible though the region has suffered from oil pollution for years due to damaged infrastructure and limited capacity.
02/29/24: Russia carried out a series of airstrikes targeting a base north of al-Bab belonging to dissident SNA faction “Ahrar ‘Awlan,” reportedly killing a commander. Ahrar ‘Awlan is the popular name for the pro-HTS splinter of Ahrar al-Sham Eastern Sector based in and around the nearby village of ‘Alwan. Russia has only carried out attacks such as this targeting opposition groups inside Turkish-controlled territory several times, making this incident unusual. It is also interesting that they would target a group at odds with Turkey and its local proxy forces.
(source) 03/01/24: A Kurdish National Council office in Kobanî was stormed and vandalized by a group of masked men. The attackers appear to have belonged to the controversial ‘Revolutionary Youth’ organization (Kurdish: Tevgera Ciwanên Şoreşger), Apoçi hardliners frequently accused of similar actions against KNC offices and kidnapping minors for recruitment. In a video filmed from the roof during the incident, one of the masked men is seen wearing a Revolutionary Youth flag around his neck. KNC members had reportedly gathered at the office to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Mustafa Barzani, founder of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (the ruling party of Iraqi Kurdistan).
Left: Revolutionary Youth logo, right: one of the attackers seemingly wearing a Revolutionary Youth flag during the incident
Claimed Islamic State attacks against the SDF:
02/25/24: Attack targeting an SDF vehicle in al-Sa’wah, western Deir ez-Zour, allegedly killing one fighter and injuring two others.
02/25/24: Attack targeting an SDF “military point” on the bridge road in Dhiban, central Deir ez-Zour, allegedly wounding a fighter.
02/26/24: Attack targeting an SDF headquarters in al-Tuwamiyah, central Deir ez-Zour, allegedly killing a fighter.
02/26/24: Grenade attack targeting an SDC headquarters in al-Qamishli, reportedly causing material damage. This is the second Islamic State-claimed attack in al-Qamishli in two weeks.
02/27/24: Attack targeting an SDF vehicle in Barihah, central Deir ez-Zour, allegedly injuring at least one fighter.
03/01/24: Attack targeting an SDF fighter in Jazrat al-Bouhamid, western Deir ez-Zour, allegedly killing him.
Troubling the increase in IS attacks plus the "suicide" affair