Malhama Tactical Revisited: Interview

During the war in Syria between the Assad regime and the insurgency, Malhama Tactical gained wider media attention as the most prominent foreign fighter-led training outfit on the insurgency side. However, following the insurgency’s major territorial losses in northwest Syria, the group seemingly disappeared from social media by 2021. Readers may remember that in February 2020 I conducted an interview with then Malhama Tactical leader Ali Shishani. Back then, one might have been tempted to dismiss the insurgency in the northwest as doomed, but looking in retrospect, Shishani’s words seem almost prescient:

"We cannot speak clearly about the future. But if all the Syrian factions unite completely both militarily and politically, having left all past differences and work together with the Turkish army, then it will be possible to fix everything and return the lost territories, and turn the tide of the entire Syrian jihad."

Following the fall of the Assad regime, Malhama Tactical has re-emerged on social media advertising its activities. In this context, I conducted an interview recently with Malhama Tactical to learn about the apparent period of silence and inactivity and the group’s current role in Syria. One can follow Malhama Tactical’s official X account at @MalhamaOfficial.

Q: As it seems, Malhama Tactical was present on social media until 2020, then publicising of its activities stopped. I heard for example that Malhama Tactical’s work had been suspended. Can you clarify what happened exactly? And what happened to the old leaders like Ali Shishani? Did they leave the field?