National Front for Liberation


The National Front for Liberation was a Syrian rebel coalition that was part of the Syrian National Army fighting in the Syrian Civil War. The group was formed by 11 rebel factions in northwestern Syria in May 2018, and was officially announced on 28 May 2018. The formation receives major support from Turkey. The group joined the SNA on 4 October 2019.
At the event on 29 January declaring the victory of the Syrian revolution, most factions of the armed opposition, including the Syrian National Army, which the NFL was part of, announced their pending dissolution. Around 40,000 fighters of the National Front for Liberation were incorporated into the newly formed Ministry of Defense.

Commanders

From 28 May to 1 August 2018, Colonel Fadlallah al-Haji of the Sham Legion was the group's overall commander, Lieutenant Colonel Suhaib Leoush of the Free Idlib Army was its deputy commander, and Major Muhammad Mansour of the Army of Victory was its chief of staff.
On 1 August, Ahmad Sarhan of the Suqour al-Sham Brigades and Walid al-Mushayil of Jaysh al-Ahrar were named as the group's new first and second deputy commanders, respectively, while Walid al-Mushayil of Ahrar al-Sham was appointed chief of staff.

History

2018

On 1 August, the Syrian Liberation Front, which was formed by Ahrar al-Sham and the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement in February 2018, as well as Jaysh al-Ahrar and the Damascus Gathering, joined the formation.
On 5 August, the NFL arrested 45 people accused of attempting to reconcile with the Syrian government in al-Ghab Plain and Mount Shashabo in the western Hama countryside. On 13 August, the crackdown campaign was expanded to Maarat al-Nu'man and Ariha.
On 9 August, the NFL's Sham Legion launched an attack on a People's Protection Units cell in the southeastern Afrin countryside, killing four YPG fighters and capturing small arms and ammunition.
On 14 August, the group released a video showing the training of its self-proclaimed "Unit 82 SWAT Forces". On the same day, a group of around 200 fighters formed the Free Hayan Brigade and joined the NFL in order to "unite factions", "fight forces of the Syrian regime", and avoid rebel infighting. The next day, the Free North Brigade, which operates around the same area, also joined the NFL. On 27 August, the Imam Ali Battalion joined the Free North Brigade.

2019

In January 2019, following defeat at the hands of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Nour al-Zenki left Idlib for the north, leaving the NFL.
On 26 March 2019, the National Front for Liberation released a statement declaring its rejection and condemnation of the United States recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel.
During the Syrian military’s Northwestern [Syria offensive (April 2019–present)] against rebel-held territory, the NFL cooperated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the battle over Kfar Nabuda in Idlib, May 2019. It also cooperated with the Army of Glory, and other rebel groups to counter the offensive.
It merged with the SNA in October 2019. According to Middle East Eye, neither the NFL nor SNA fighters had been informed of the merger, which was announced at a press conference in Urfa, southern Turkey.
On 9 October 2019, 500 fighters from the Army of Glory, including its deputy commander-in-chief Captain Manaf Maarati and spokesman Captain Mustafa Maarati, reportedly defected to the NFL.

2020

On 15 March 2020, Step News Agency reported that Fadlallah al-Haji had resigned from his position on the orders of the Turkish government. The move came after the discovery of a large-scale embezzlement involving the Sham Legion and other groups within the NFL who misrepresented the amount of fighters within their ranks in order to receive extra salaries from their Turkish ally. Turkey requested the NFL to prepare between 2,000 and 3,000 fighters to prepare for a Turkish Armed Forces-led military offensive against the Syrian Armed Forces in the western Aleppo Governorate in the event of the Russia–Turkey ceasefire breaking down, but the NFL only equipped 350 fighters after submitting 14,000 fake names to Turkey. However, Enab Baladi contacted Captain Naji Mustafa, who denied that al-Haji had resigned, and al-Haji continues to serve as the commander-in-chief of the NFL.

2024

In November 2024, the National Front for Liberation joined in on the HTS-led Operation Deterrence of Aggression, launching a coordinated assault on regime positions in northwestern Syria. During the 2024 Battle of Aleppo, NFL fighters played a key role in helping to take control of city alongside other rebel factions. within less than two weeks, the combined efforts of the Deterrence of Aggression factions and southern rebel groups ultimately led to the swift collapse of the Assad regime by December of 2024.
In late January of 2025, the NFL participated in the Syrian Victory Conference, held in Damascus to chart the country’s post-war future. The group, alongside the rest of the Syrian National Army and other rebel groups, agreed to formally dissolve and integrate into the newly established Ministry of Defense under the new Syrian Transitional Government.

Member groups

Former groups