dhappy42
Who controls the white patch south of Palmyra along the border with Jordan and Iraq? Nobody?
I think they are Syrian rebels that aren’t really connected to any of the others, but I don’t look much because nothing’s been happening down there since I’ve been following along. What we call the SNA is just a collection of a ton of different militias who joined together in common cause. [Note: This was mostly if not completely incorrect; it applies to many SNA factions, but not the presence at Tanf about which the question focused. See below.)
What we call the SNA is just a collection of a ton of different militias who joined together in common cause. (For the Wikipedia list of TFSA militia, see the bottom of this post.) They are Syrian rebels that aren’t really connected to any of the others. I don’t know who, if anyone, the rebels in the south are affiliated with.
Because of distance and a lack of power, they have limited use to the common cause of the factions to the north and northwest, so they’re just kinda.
Except that we have some unheralded forces parked there too, I’m going to guess to protect the border crossings to Jordan.
I think Assad is mostly just ignoring them until later.
Narrator: It’s later.
dhappy42
Back in the Iraq war days (and probably long before that) the area where Syria, Jordan and Iraq borders met was smuggler central. Tanf is on the only road between Damascus and Baghdad and therefore the only open overland route between Syria and Iran. (The other road goes through Kurdish territory in Iraq.) The US used to have a base near there.
Reverend
Seriously, though, I hadn’t figured out why there were American forces there. You’ve made things a lot clearer in that regard, now. We don’t have troops at both of the eastern routes; we have troops at all three.
I get it now.
So now, a note on factions:
Wikipedia list of just TFSA militias
National Army
- 1st Legion[31]
- Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror Brigade[32]
- Samarkand Brigade[33]
- Army of Grandsons[24] (also part of the Victory Bloc and the Sultan Murad Bloc)
- Conquest Brigade[31] (also part of the Levant Front)[34]
- 1st Division[35][better source needed]
- Tala’a Victory Brigade
- Muntasir Billah Brigade
- 21st Combined Force remnants (northern Aleppo branch)
- Ahrar al-Sharqiya[19][20][36]
- 2nd Legion[37][38][better source needed]
- 5th Brigade
- 145th Brigade (also part of the Victory Bloc, and a member group of the Elite Army 14th Division)
- Sultan Murad Bloc[39][26]
- Sultan Murad Division[19]
- Hamza Division[19]
- Kurdish Falcons Brigade[40]
- Al-Mu’tasim Brigade
- Elite Division (also part of the Victory Bloc)
- Jaysh al-Islam (Rif Damascus & Damascus Governorates branches)[41][42]
- 3rd Legion
- Levant Bloc[26]
- Levant Front[24]
- Northern Storm Brigade
- Sword of the Levant Brigade (Azaz branch)
- Soldiers of Islam Brigade[43]
- Northern Army[44]
- Ahrar al-Sham (northern Aleppo branch)[45][24]
- Manbij Brigade[46][better source needed]
- Fastaqim Union (northern Aleppo branch)[47][48][better source needed]
- Levant Front[24]
- al-Rahman Legion (Rif Damascus & Damascus Governorates branches)[49]
- Glory Corps
- 3rd Brigade (Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement elements)
- Levant Bloc[26]
- National Front for Liberation[27][4]
- 4th Legion
- Sham Legion
- Martyrs of Islam Brigade
- Central Division
- Sham Legion
- 5th Legion
- Ahrar al-Sham
- Suqour al-Sham Brigades
- Jaysh al-Ahrar
- Damascus Gathering
- Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib Battalions[50]
- Brigades and Battalions to Unite the Capital
- Miqdad ibn Amr Brigade
- 6th and 7th Legion
- Free Idlib Army
- 1st Coastal Division
- 2nd Army
- 2nd Coastal Division
- Elite Army
- 1st Infantry Division
- Army of Victory
- 23rd Division
- Islamic Freedom Brigade
- Unit 82 SWAT Forces[51]
- Free Hayan Brigade[52]
- Free North Brigade[53]
- Imam Ali Battalion[54]
- 4th Legion
- 4th Legion (2018)
- Victory Bloc[57]
- Elite Division [58] (also part of the 2nd Legion)
- Army of the Grandsons (also part of the 1st Legion and the Sultan Murad Bloc)[24]
- Free Men of the East[59]
- Elite Army(northern Aleppo branch)
- 14th Division[60]
- 141st Brigade
- 145th Brigade (also part of the 1st Legion’s 5th Brigade)[60]
- Elite Battalion[23]
- 14th Division[60]
- 1st Brigade
- Sham Legion
- Authenticity and Development Front(northern Aleppo branch)[63]
- Sultan Murad Division
- Hamza Division
- Army of Grandsons
- Al-Mu’tasim Brigade
- Northern Brigade[64]
- Revolutionary Knights Brigade
- Free Syria Brigade
- Swords of Shahba Brigade
- Manbij Revolutionaries Gathering
- Soldiers of Mercy Battalion
- Martyr Alaa Abu Zaid Battalion
- Honest Dawn Battalion
- Sirajuddin Battalion
- Supporters of God Battalion
- Omar Abu al-Hasan Battalion
- Commandos of the Sunna Battalions
- Commandos of Islam Brigade[65][53]
- Zubayr ibn al-Awwam Battalion[66][better source needed]
- Al-Rafidayn al-Aeamila Battalion[67]
- Qiba Martyrs Battalion[67]
- Northern Commando Battalion[68][better source needed]
- Jarabulus Martyrs Battalion[69][better source needed]
- Martyr Alaa Barir Battalion[70][better source needed]
- Revolutionary Knights Brigade
- 23rd Division (northern Aleppo branch)[71]
- Sultan Suleyman Shah Brigade
- Northern Hawks Brigade[72]
- 9th Special Forces Division of Aleppo
- Mustafa Regiment[26]
- 1st Commandos Brigade[73][better source needed]
- Revolutionaries of Syrian Jazeera
- Sultan Othman Brigade
- 1st Division of Aleppo[74]
- 51st Brigade[72]
- Descendants of Saladin Brigade until July 2017;[75] since then “Saladin Brigade” remnant faction[76][77][25]
- 2nd Army (northern Aleppo branch)[78]
- 1st Regiment[79][better source needed]
- People of the Homeland[80]
- Martyr Mashaal Tammo Brigade[25][76]
- Qamishli Shield[25]
- Afrin Shield[25]
Military councils
- Al-Bab Military Council
- Mare’ Military Council[24]
- Qabasin Military Council
- Akhtarin Military Council
- Menagh Military Council[81]
- Tell Rifaat Military Council[82]
- Deir ez-Zor Unified Military Council[83]
- Raqqa Military Council[84]
Other Turkish-backed rebel groups in the area
- Army of Glory elements[85]
- Liwa Ahrar Ras al-Ayn[86]
- Army of al-Jazeera and Euphrates[87]
- Eastern Shield Army[88]
- Sons of Hasaka Union[89]
- Free Men of al-Shaddadah
- al-Ikhlas Brigade
- Revolutionary Council of the Albo Batoush tribe[90][better source needed]
- Kurdish Tribal Council in the Aleppo Countryside[91][better source needed]
- Kurdish Liberation Movement (formerly the Kurdish Revolutionary Battalion of Sons of Hasaka Union)[92][better source needed]
- Unified Syrian Army (northern Aleppo branch)[93][94]
- Azaz Revolutionaries Battalions[95][96]
- Harakat al-Qiyam[97][98]
- Deir ez-Zor Liberation Brigade[99][better source needed][100]
- Liberation Brigade
- Dhi Qar Brigade
- Al-Mu’tasim Brigade
- Revolutionary Shield Brigade
- Dignity Battalion
- Abbas Battalion
- Sons of Islam Movement
- Brigade of God
- Omar Battalions
- Ali ibn Abi Talib Battalion
- Ansar Battalions
- Descendants of Mustafa Battalion
- Sword of Justice Battalion
- Badr Brigade
- Special Forces Brigade
- Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas Battalions
- Euphrates Commando Battalion
- Muhajir Brigade
- 64th Brigade
- Muhammad Brigades
- Ahrar al-Tabqa Gathering[84]
- Suqour al-Sham Brigades
- Glory to God Brigade
- Lions of Islam Brigade
- Bara Battalion
- Glory Battalions[101]
- Ahrar al-Sham (Rif Damascus & DamascusGovernorates branches)
- Lions of the East Army (Eastern Qalamounbranch)
- Forces of Martyr Ahmad al-Abdo (Eastern Qalamoun branch)
- Al-Qaratayn Martyrs Brigade[102][103]
- Company of the People of the Levant
- Hold on to God Union
- Men of Qalamoun
- Strangers Brigade
- Qalamoun Shield Brigade
- Al-Nabek Martyrs’ Brigade
- Ibn Taymiyyah Brigade
- Martyr Abu Jaafar Brigade
- Martyr Ali Diyab Brigade
- United in the Love of God Brigade
- Al-Qastal Martyrs’ Brigades
- Qalamoun Liberation Brigades
- Sham Liberation Army[104][105]
- Western Qalamoun Union
- Levant Liberation Division
- al-Ghouta Martyrs Battalion
- Omar Haider Brigade
- 11th Special Forces Division (formerly part of the Southern Front)
That’s too many.
Rojava to Rock 