Brutal footage coming out of an attack on a Syrian Arab Army outpost near Aleppo in 2016 shows close combat between members of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the SAA. Early in the video, they show a confused Syrian Soldier approaching the rebels and actually holding a conversation with them before the Soldier is shot at point blank range.

As the Soldier is approaching the rebel, you'll notice the Arabic word askary is used multiple times. This word's literal translation is Army. To me, it seems like neither the HTS fighter or the Soldier realized they were dealing with the opposition until the exact last moment. Unfortunately for the Soldier, the HTS fighter was the better prepared of the two in the moment, which makes sense as he was on the side conducting the attack. The Soldier likely didn't realize that their defensive lines had already been broken.

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Josh Brooks

Josh is an American writer and former USMC machine gunner with eight years of experience in ground combat arms throughout the GWOT. He is currently based in Texas and specializes in combat footage analysis and digital marketing.Follow Josh at OfficialJoshBrooks.com