The Syrian Interim Government sought to enhance security in Northern Aleppo, through the formation a Police Formation and a Military Court in the area, run by the “Chiefs of Staff,” in the Ministry of Defense affiliated with the Government, which mission is security management and organization, in the shadow of the violations committed by a few members of the factions, in addition to the Civil Police.   

The people, interviewed by Enab Baladi in northern Aleppo, descried the step as “positive,” in case the movement aimed to curb the repeated violations “towards building an integral society reigned by security.” Others hinted at abusive factions’ members, “who represent themselves only, whom the Civil Police do not have the power to hold accountable.”

The people called for providing the Military Police with powers, demanding activating their role and “a high-level” cooperation with the Civil Police and security forces “to link the area to a complete security belt and to protect it in a better manner.”

Three Headquarters and Detachments in the Countryside

The Ministry of Defense of the Syrian Interim Government is trying to organize the military work in the “National Army,” which has been formed on 30 December, 2017.

Concerning the Military Police’s action mechanisms, the spokesperson of the “National Army,” Mohammad Hammadin, in an interview with Enab Baladi, said that the Military Police, together with the Court, have been formed as a result of the “National Army’s” three Legion’s factions’ efforts in the area, pointing out that “it is decided that the Court would occupy the headquarters of security establishments in the major cities and their rural parts, after they are dissolved.”

The Court’s and the Police members were sworn before the Senior leaders of the “National Army” and Turkish Officials; the Court has located its headquarters in the city of al-Bab, as to work with the police centers in Azaz and  Jarabulus, to be ensued with detachments in the rural parts of the cities, where it functions.

According to Hammadin, the composition of each military police branch would consist of about a hundred members, and each branch would be run by a leader and two deputies, indicating that “Abu Mohammad al-Shaikhly,” has become in command of the Police General Command, and his deputies are from the first and the third legions.

Turkey has offered its support to the “Free Army” factions in the northern and eastern countryside of Aleppo, in their effort to retrieve wide areas controlled by the “Islamic State” ISIS, since August 2016, the last of which was the city of al-Baba and the towns and villages surrounding it, after which legions have been formed, under which brigades branched in the area.

The Court’s and the police responsibilities “lie in regulating the military issues and deterring the violations within the legions,” according to Hammadin, who pointed out that “the police is the Military Court’s executive entity,” which includes six judges, in addition to the General Judge and President that will be soon elected.

About the trial’s legislator frame, he pointed out that “the judges will rule in a manner that does not contradict with the Islamic Sharia and the principles of the revolution; however, the Court will specialize in military issues and the cases of the Islamic State’s affiliates or the pro-regime cells.”

The Military police cooperates with the “National Police,” which has been formed, last year, in northern Aleppo and trained in Turkey, then started running security centers in the area. The “National Army’s” spokesperson, explained that cooperation would exist, “but the Court’s first priority is militarization.”