Protests In Syria’s Al-tanf Against U.S-led Coalition (Videos)

Civilians and some militants in al-Tanf in southeastern Syria have been reportedly protesting against the US-led coalition’s decision to sack Muhanad Tala from his position as the leader of the largest faction in the area, Maghaweir al-Thowra (MaT).

The protests began on September 27 at the al-Rukban refugee camp, which is located just a few kilometers away from the US-led coalition’s garrison in al-Tanf.

Tala, who founded the MaT in 2016 with support from the US-led coalition, is a former colonel of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) who defected early on in the war. The coalition sacked Tala last week, replacing him with Muhammad Farid Qassem who served as a captain in the SAA before defecting to join the rebels and later forming the US-backed al-Qaryatayn Martyrs Brigade in al-Tanf.

The protesters gathered inside the US-led coalition garrison in recent days to demand the return of Tala, who was reportedly removed from his positions as a result of a recent visit he made to Turkey. Some of the protesters warned that the new MaT leader, Qassem, is a violent radical.

Some 200 US troops and 300 MaT militants are usually deployed at al-Tanf garrison. The US-led coalition maintains a 55-kilometer no-fly zone around the garrison. The no-fly zone covers al-Rukban, where hundreds of other militants are present.

The MaT is responsible for security and much of the administrative issues in al-Tanf, due to this many civilians and even some militants are worried about the new radical leader.

The US-led coalition may have replaced Tala with a radical in an attempt push its proxies in al-Tanf to escalate their attacks on Syrian government forces and civilian infrastructure in nearby areas. The coalition will likely continue to ignore the demands of the protesters. This could lead to a split among its proxies and even an internarial conflict in al-Tanf.