Turkey, dubbing the operation it launched in northern Syria on Oct. 9 Operation Peace Spring (which also could be translated as Operation Fountain of Peace), has been reorganizing Syrian militia groups loyal to Ankara under the banner of the Syrian National Army, or Jaish al-Watani in Arabic.
Turkey’s choice of names with peaceful and nationalist connotations of course has manipulative and propaganda dimensions to appeal to domestic and foreign public opinion. Turkey found nothing wrong with taking armed groups with checkered records that were implicated in Afrin crimes such as looting, ransom, abductions and torture under the label of the National Army and moving them east of the Euphrates to link up with the Turkish army to join the fight against the People’s Protection Units (YPG) at Tell Abyad.
