Syrian regime attempts to train army

Clips of training exercises as the interim Syrian government attempts to forge a motley crew of tribal factions, extremist groups, and raw recruits into a national army. The footage highlights the poor state of Syrian defense infrastructure as Cold War-era Soviet relics trundle about while men in mismatched uniforms look on. The Syrian Civil War which began more than a decade ago devolved into an existential struggle to the death between Assad’s regime and an assortment of revolutionary and extremist groups. After clinging doggedly to power for years, the regime suddenly collapsed, leaving men and groups formerly considered terrorists in command of a fractured state. The recent violence in and around Suwayda is indicative of Syrian’s fragile condition. When violence broke out between the local Druze and Bedouin tribes, the government sought to intervene, not with national troops but with a collection of tribes and extremist groups which represent the interim government. The effort quickly devolved into sectarian bloodletting, incurring the wrath of Syria’s southern neighbor, Israel. The need for a military that can act in the interests of the state, free of sectarian influences, is clear, but the path towards achieving such a goal is uncertain.

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