Free Syrian Army decimated by desertions
In Aleppo, the rebel group has weakened as fighters leave due to low pay, poor conditions and fragmentation.
Aleppo, Syria - In 2012, Mohammad Matoh joined the Free Syrian Army. A year later he deserted finding work at a fast-food restaurant in Aleppo.
"Five members of our family were with the FSA. Now two are in Turkey after getting injured and two are still with the FSA," he told Al Jazeera.
Matoh, 27, recalls other friends leaving as well. One of them, he said, "was forced to leave as a result of the inadequate salary, which was at best 18,000 Syrian pounds [$95] a month". Matoh himself claims his salary started at only 8,000 Syrian pounds ($36) a month, before rising slightly.
Ahmad Jalal, 21, a field commander in the FSA, admitted that the salaries "can be as low as $50 a month, and sometimes salaries are not paid due to [lack of] support".
The FSA, once viewed by the international community as a viable alternative to the rule of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has seen its power wane dramatically this year amid widespread desertions.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in Aleppo, Syria's largest city where many FSA soldiers are leaving the group, citing inadequate pay, family obligations and poor conditions.
In the past month, Russia's bombing campaign against Syrian rebel groups and theFSA's rejection of Russian invitations to participate in negotiations have further weakened it, raising questions about the group's place in any future settlement.
