Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Fourteen rebel factions in Aleppo, in the north of Syria, are seeking to form a joint military command to coordinate attacks against Syrian government forces, local opposition sources have told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Efforts to unify rebel ranks in the eastern and northern parts of Aleppo began three months ago with the aim of “preventing the regime from imposing a siege on the city and confronting it within a unified military framework and joint operations room,” head of Aleppo’s Revolutionary Command Council Yasser Al-Najjar told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Only seven rebel factions have backed integration efforts so far despite calls for all local forces to join, Najjar said.
“These factions have the right to join and will have an effective role in helping the city and defending its neighborhoods,” the opposition official added.
Aleppo, previously a major Syrian economic and industrial hub, remains divided between government forces and moderate Islamist factions loosely affiliated to the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Anti-government forces hold more than 50 percent of the city, mainly its eastern and southern neighborhoods.
The new deal excludes groups affiliated with Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s franchise in Syria.