Afrinpost – Special
The Afrinpost correspondent at the center of the occupied Afrin region in northern Syria reported that many militants have recently defected from the ranks of the “Sultan Murad, Ahrar al-Sharqiya and the 23rd Squad” and joined the “Jaish Al-Islam” militia expelled from Damascus countryside.
The reporter explained that 8 militants of the “Sultan Murad” militia defected and joined Jaish Al-Islam militia, as “Abd al-Rahman, Mustafa and Abu Qusay ” were known among them, adding that other militants left the ranks of the “Ahrar al-Sharqiya” militia and joined the ranks of the “Jaish Al- Islam”.
The correspondent added that the militants of the “23rd Squad” militia are also joining the ranks of the “Jaish Al-Islam” after the “Al-Shamiya Front” militia launched an attack on its headquarters in the city of Afrin and Azaz and took control of it, as well as the arrest of its leader, “Abu Samir Al-Kul,” which was finally disbanded.
The reasons for the defection of the militants from the ranks of their original militias and joining the “Jaish Al-Islam” is that the latter does not force its members to go to Libya, as is rumored, and the salaries paid by its militants are higher than other militias, according to the correspondent.
Dozens of the “Sultan Murad Squad” militia, defected at the beginning of this month, joined the ranks of the “Sultan Suleiman Shah” militia. The number of the group that split from “Sultan Murad”, led by “Abu Rahmo”, reached about 130 militants. They were stationed in the vicinity of the Al-Orouba School in the old Afrin district.
Likewise, media sites loyal to the Syrian opposition said in early July that 4 Squads had defected within the “Sultan Murad” militia.
The source said that the four groups that defected are the militias of (the 101st Brigade, the central city of al-Bab, led by Hassan Abu Mar’i), (the security office and its central force led by the so-called Abu al-Mut), (the Aleppo Brigades, the Afrin sector, led by Abu Rahmo) and (Hasakah brigades group” which It is led by Abu Mu’awiya).
He explained that the reasons for the defection is due to the policy of the leader of the “Sultan Murad” militia, called “Fahim Issa.”
The source pointed out that the number of splinter groups from the “Sultan Murad militia” reached 10 squads, and included nearly 3,000 militants, that is, more than half of the militia’s total number of 6000 thousand militants.
