News Center- Syrian National Army (SNA) factions that fought the Assad government with backing from Türkiye continue to detain, mistreat, and extort civilians in northern Syria, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a news release on Wednesday.

These fighters are being integrated into Syria’s Armed Forces, with their commanders appointed to key government and military positions, despite their past involvement in serious abuses, HRW said, calling on Syria’s transitional government to work in order to end and investigate ongoing abuses and exclude those with records of abuse from the Syrian security forces.

“The fall of Assad’s abusive government has meant decades of atrocities by that government have come to an end,” said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “But Syrian National Army factions are continuing to detain, extort, and torture residents with impunity.”

HRW also listed some names of the commanders, who were involved in past abuses and who now hold influential posts in the new Syrian military. Their names are Mohammad al-Jassem (Abu Amsha) leading the 62nd Division; Saif Boulad (Saif Abu Bakr) leading the 76th Division; Fehim Isa as the defense minister’s assistant for northern affairs; and most recently, Ahmed al-Hais (Abu Hatem Shaqra) leading the 86th Division in the eastern region.

A recent report by Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ), a human rights group, documented 41 arrests by SNA factions and the affiliated Military Police in January and February. Ten occurred after the Syrian caretaker government’s newly formed General Security forces entered northern Aleppo cities on February 6 following an apparent deal to assume control from the SNA.

According to the report, despite the removal of most SNA checkpoints, sources in Afrin and elsewhere said that factions still operate from their former bases. Qussai Jukhadar, a researcher for STJ, said arrests decreased in March but hundreds remain detained in SNA-run, Turkish-supervised prisons.

In the press release, HRW also recalled the agreement signed between Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and the SDF commander, Mazloum Abdi, focusing on integration into the Syrian army, including for the return of internally displaced people from areas like Afrin.

‘Türkiye also bears responsibility for their abuses and potential war crimes’

“Syrian authorities bear responsibility for abuses by forces integrated into the army as well as for preventing abuses and ensuring accountability. Türkiye, which still oversees former SNA factions and continues to provide weapons, salaries, training, and logistical support to these factions, also bears responsibility for their abuses and potential war crimes,” HRW said, calling on the Syrian transitional government to urgently unify its military under an accountable command with civilian oversight and ensure adherence to international human rights standards.

The Syrian transitional government “should take steps to prevent further abuses against Kurdish and other residents in northern Syria, ensure the release of all arbitrarily detained people, and investigate past abuses with fair legal proceedings. Türkiye should discontinue support to abusive commanders and factions and provide reparations to victims. The transitional government should create conditions for the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of displaced people, and grant independent monitors unrestricted access to all detention facilities, including those operated by former SNA factions and Turkish forces. Other countries should provide technical and financial assistance to ensure that the new security forces protect civilians and observe the rule of law, including supporting an independent judiciary to ensure lawful detention and treatment of detainees.”

“As Syria’s transitional government is integrating into its ranks SNA factions and other armed groups, it must exclude those in the SNA that are responsible for abuses and hold them accountable,” Adam Coogle said. “If it doesn’t do so, the Syrian people will not be able to trust their armed forces and will be vulnerable to yet more abuse.”