Reporting of Federici Studies Center
This is who the 'untouchable' rebel groups of the Daara enclave are
Most of the rebel militias present in southern Syria in the Daara governorate (1400 square km ed 1 million people), they report to a 'control room' called the "Southern Front" (o Shoutern Front – SF) was established 14 February 2014 by the United States and is also supported by European countries, as well as Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The coalition (which groups approximately 49 militias as well as local operations rooms ), has a main operations room in Amman (which is nothing other than the branch of the 'Military Operations Center' (MOC) of the United States for Syria).
While the membership of the Southern Front is controversial - because even though it falls under the aegis of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) , it has generally dissociated itself from the political opposition, the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) – what is certain is that it is financed by the United States and its allies. Their militias receive help from Jordan while - as we know - the Syrian government is thus prevented in any way from asserting its rights or obviously acting in any way in Jordan.
Shoutern Front uses very powerful and widespread activity in the mainstream media and from many sources (including the non-governmental organization 'Carter Center' founded by former president Jimmy Carter), it is judged as an entity that brings together 'moderately religious' and secular groups . This judgment, however, conflicts with the proven correlation of many of its members with the al Nusra group and with the jihad financed by the Saudis.
The Southern Front operates in the Daara provinces , Kuneitra and Suwaida and a few days ago it was defended by the spokesperson of the American State Department who threatened the Syrian army with serious consequences, in case of continuation of the offensive on Daara and surrounding areas on a grand scale.
As opponents the Southern Front has the Islamic State in the Daara enclave through a faction called "Jaysh Khalid bin al-Waleed" (also for this reason this group is barred from entering Jordan and from any type of help through the channels activated by Amman).
Although many militants come from the same clans and sometimes the same extended families, the Southern Front is opposed by the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham group. Furthermore, in the Daara area there is also the faction called Jund al-Malahem which was born in 2015 from a break with Jabbat al Nusra , affiliated with al Qaeda. Its leader was an emir of Jabhat al-Nusra in Deraa. Currently the militants of this group no longer receive salaries and their activity is very limited.
Currently both the US and Southern Front believe that the truce agreed in the de-escalation area is open-ended and confers the permanent ability to establish a Western-financed fiefdom removed from the sovereignty of the Syrian government. Indeed, things were different, the de-escalation area was intended to de-escalate tensions and start negotiations in which all parties would find an agreement for reunification , behind specific and fair guarantees.
Instead Southern Front continues to set its sights on Damascus which is located in 100 km from the Daara enclave and its leaders do not hide that the conflict will not end with reconciliation but with the final victory against Assad.
In March 2018 hostilities resumed leading up to the imminent offensive of the Syrian army. Any chance of negotiation was promptly rejected by the Southern Front.
While the Syrian government has been trying to negotiate a possible agreement to ease the situation in the southern part of the country, in response, local militant groups became active by launching a preventive battle against the Syrian army.
