Free Syrian Army

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) was founded on July 29, 2011 by seven former members of the Syrian military, allegedly led by former air force Colonel Riad al-Asaad, who defected in order to fight the Assad Regime. The FSA is not a single cohesive armed opposition group, and the term is often used to refer to a loose alliance of moderate or secular opposition brigades that are fighting against the Assad Regime. In December 2012, the FSA created the Supreme Military Council (SMC, also known as The Council of Thirty) in an attempt to form a command structure among its brigades. The United States announced it would provide $123 million in non-lethal aid to the SMC in April 2013, and Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, and Turkey also agreed to give money and weapons to the SMC instead of directly funding individual FSA brigades. However tension arose in the SMC after a group of FSA leaders tried to replace SMC leader General Salim Idriss, and the FSA’s National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (National Coalition) ordered the SMC to dissolve in June 2014. Since the SMC’s dissolution, it has been unclear if the FSA has an established command structure because the National Coalition has not endorsed any of the institutions proposed to replace the SMC; however, multiple media outlets still cite the FSA as an established group. Prominent FSA brigades include the 1st Coastal Division, Yarmouk Army, and the Northern Sun Battalion.