ALEPPO, Syria —The Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions in Aleppo’s countryside, Idlib and Ghouta as well as the Southern Front factions in the southern Daraa and Quneitra provinces and the Syrian Desert have been holding intensive discussions with the opposition-affiliated Syrian Interim Government since the beginning of September, several sources told Al-Monitor.

The talks aim to form a national army that would unite all armed factions under one umbrella, except extremist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. In addition, a general staff for said army will be shaped and a new defense minister for the Syrian Interim Government will be appointed, since the FSA factions do not support the current minister of defense, Asaad Mustafa.

The Syrian Interim Government was established following meetings between the National Coalition for the Revolution and Opposition in Istanbul on Nov. 11, 2013. Its headquarters remained in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, as it received financial support from friends of the Syrian revolution and the opposition’s international supporters. However, in 2016, most of its members relocated back to FSA-controlled areas after gradually starting to lose funding in September 2015.

Abdullah Halawa, a military leader in the FSA-affiliated Hamza Division, told Al-Monitor that the talks will soon come to an end, as the Syrian Interim Government has secured the approval of the majority of FSA factions.