NICOSIA — After 20 months of fighting, Syrian rebels are examining
the prospect of forming a professional force that could topple the regime of
President Bashar Assad.

Rebel commanders have been meeting in northern Syria to draft plans for
so-called special operations forces that could overcome the last regime
bastions around and in Aleppo. They said this would enable the rebels to
concentrate on Damascus, which remains the stronghold of the embattled
president.

“This [professional force] will involve defectors in Syria and abroad
and would take advantage of the potential represented by soldiers and
civilians,” Maj. Gen. Mohamed Hussein Al Haj Ali, a rebel commander, said.

Ali, commander of the Syrian National Army, said the special forces
would be drawn from rebel militias and aim to topple the regime. He said a
professional military was already required that could replace Assad’s forces
and deal with national defense.

Over the last six months, rebels have been urged by NATO and Arab allies
to consolidate forces. So far, the efforts have failed amid disputes between
Salafist militias sponsored by Qatar and indigenous Syrian forces.
“We expect to coordinate our efforts, and the coalition will serve as
the political cover for this military project,” Ali told the Saudi-owned
A-Sharq Al Awsat daily.
The proposal calls for rebel militias to classify deserters of the
Syrian military through any specialities. Rebels said some of the defectors
have skills in such areas as air defense, naval and air force operations and
administration.
“It is necessary that this organization has political and material
support from the Syrian people, and this is something that will be
transparent, not to mention support from foreign countries,” Ali said.
Rebels were said to control most of northern Syria with the exception of
Aleppo. Ali said rebel forces, including the Free Syrian Army, were
maintaining a presence in Damascus.
“We are presently focusing our combat efforts on the northern region of
Syria, and less so in the southern region,” Ali said. “This is based on
military tactics and strategy.”

  Aleppo, Assad, Damascus, Syria, Syrian rebels plan united ‘professional military’ to topple Assad