Decentralised (2015–present):
133-485: [REDACTED] Free Syrian Army The Levant Front ( Arabic : الجبهة الشامية , romanized : al-Jabhat aš-Šāmiyya , Jabhat al-Shamiyah , also translated as the Sham Front or the Levantine Front ) is a Syrian rebel group based around Aleppo involved in the Syrian Civil War . It was formed in December 2014. The northern branch of the Levant Front is part of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army . The Netherlands ' public prosecutor declared it to be
266-416: A military strategy of guerrilla tactics in the countryside and cities, with a tactical focus on armed action in the capital of Damascus . The campaign was not meant to hold territory, but rather to spread government forces and their logistical chains thin in battles for urban centers, cause attrition in the security forces, degrade morale , and destabilize the government. The FSA considered itself to be
399-616: A "nationalist jihadist salafi" group. The goal of regime change can be seen in Ahrar al-Sham's involvement in the conflict in Syria. Ahrar al-Sham has joined forces with other groups in the conflict in their opposition to the Assad regime in Syria. In 2014, regional expert Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi has speculated two factions existed within Ahrar al-Sham, a nationalist moderate faction and a hardline jihadist faction influenced largely by Abu Khalid al-Suri whom
532-765: A Caliphate. This goes against the beliefs of religious scholars around the world. This is what [IS] did wrong. This is going to cause a lot of trouble. Anyone who opposes [IS] will be considered against Sharia and will be severely punished." On 18 June 2017, Ahrar al-Sham adopted Unified Arab Law in its courts in Syria. Ahrar al-Sham has claimed that it only targets government forces and militia and that it has cancelled several operations due to fear of civilian casualties. It provides humanitarian services and relief to local communities, in addition to pamphlets promoting religious commitment in daily life. Salafi groups emerged as important political and social actors in Egypt and Tunisia after
665-674: A Chinese-made FN-6 MANPADS , apparently becoming the first recorded kill with such a weapon. In mid-November 2013, after the Battle for Brigade 80 near the Aleppo International Airport, fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant beheaded a commander of Ahrar al-Sham forces, mistaking him for an Iraqi Shiite pro-government militiaman. In November 2013, the SIF announced that it
798-498: A Syrian Salafi jihadist group in late 2011". This view was shared by Wilson Center researcher Ali El Yassir who stated that the group had "unambiguously espoused a Salafi and Jihadi discourse when it was created". Researcher Hassan Hassan similarly stated that "Salafi-jihadism [was] the movement to which its top echelon once subscribed". According to the International Crisis Group in 2012, Ahrar al-Sham, along with
931-550: A car bomb was detonated at the Russian military base in Idlib , Syria. Ahrar al-Sham claimed responsibility on their website alleging "dozens" of casualties among Russian officials. On the following day, Jaysh al-Sunna 's branch in Hama merged with Ahrar al-Sham, though its northern Aleppo branch was not a part of this merger. On 13 May 2016, Amnesty International named Ahrar al-Sham as one of
1064-562: A checkpoint in Hama province, according to activists. On 16 November, in a coordinated attack , an air force intelligence complex in the Damascus suburb of Harasta was attacked. According to the Free Syrian Army, they did so with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, leading to the death of at least six soldiers with twenty others wounded. A western diplomat said the assault was "hugely symbolic and tactically new". The attack on
1197-664: A convoy in Idlib, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. This attack was allegedly done to avenge the deaths of 11 civilians previously killed. A Syrian officer was also killed in a revenge attack. Loyalist soldiers reportedly fired upon a civilian car near Homs on 14 December, killing five people, in response, the Free Syrian Army staged an ambush against a loyalist convoy consisting of four jeeps, killing eight soldiers. The same day, three anti-government military defectors were wounded in clashes with Syrian security forces in
1330-784: A firm shield and a striking hand to repel the attacks of this criminal Al Assad army with all the might we can muster. We promise to protect the lives of civilians and their possessions from security and the Shabiha [pro-government] militia. We are a people who will either gain victory or die." By July 2012, the group's website listed 50 units, and by mid-January 2013, the number had increased to 83 units. Most of these units are headquartered in villages in Idlib Governorate , but many others are located in Hama and Aleppo Governorates . Some Ahrar al-Sham units that have been involved in heavy fighting include
1463-580: A meeting between Mustafa and a Levant Front delegation arranged by Turkish intelligence, in which Mustafa accused the Levant Front of "terrorist activates" through some factions in the group such as the Ahrar Al-Sharqiya . The government of the Netherlands provided materials to the Levant Front as part of a program of non-lethal assistance for 22 rebel groups in Syria from 2015 to 2018. In September 2018,
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#17328513802731596-538: A meeting with al-Nusra Front , the Khorasan Group , the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant , and Jund al-Aqsa , which sought to unite the groups against the Syrian government. However, by 14 November 2014, it was reported that the negotiations had failed. During the night of 6 November 2014, a US airstrike targeted the group for the first time, hitting its headquarters in Idlib governorate and killing Abu al-Nasr, who
1729-683: A new coalition of Syrian rebel groups, including many that were in the FSA; the core of this new coalition was the Hawar Kilis Operations Room . Initially referred to as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA), this force would adopt the name Syrian National Army (SNA) in 2017. A majority of the FSA militias are currently under the command of the Syrian Interim Government ; while the rest have either allied with
1862-701: A result (if they were soldiers, defectors or civilians was not stated). At least fifty tanks and other armoured vehicle opened fire with 50 cal. machine guns and anti-aircraft weapons on positions held by the Free Syrian Army on Rastan's outskirts. Deaths were also reported in Daraa and Homs On 24 November 11 defectors were killed and four wounded during clashes on the western outskirts of Homs. In an attack on an airbase in Homs province on 25 November, six elite pilots, one technical officer and three other personnel were killed. The Syrian government vowed to "cut every evil hand" of
1995-510: A separate incident, 10 security agents and a deserter were killed in a bus ambush near the Turkish border , opposition activists reported. The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights reported that the bus was transporting security agents between the villages of Al-Habit and Kafrnabuda in Idlib province when it was ambushed "by armed men, probably deserters". In November 2011, the FSA operated throughout Syria, both in urban areas and countryside, in
2128-429: A shared religious view, but around fighting the ideals they think exist in institutional politics such as hierarchy, exclusion, and corruption. Ahrar al-Sham can be described as Jihadist Salafis whose definition of Jihad is one of active war fighting. Often, this view of Jihad is used as a recruitment tool by calling fighters to join a cause and complete their duty to Islam. Ahrar al-Sham started forming units just after
2261-406: A spokesman for the FSA, said that Brigadier-General Salman al-Awaja was given instructions to fire on residents of al-Quseir in Homs. When he refused, Nueimi said, he was killed. The FSA says that a large number of defections took place after the killing, as clashes broke out between al-Awaja's supporters in the army and the other soldiers who killed him. The Observatory said two people were killed in
2394-522: A strategy of quickly eliminating the regime's top leadership; successfully assassinating intelligence chief Assef Shawkat and Defence Minister Dawoud Rajiha in July 2012. In early 2012, Iran's IRGC launched a co-ordinated military campaign by sending tens of thousands of Khomeinist militants to prevent the collapse of the Syrian Arab Army; polarising the conflict along sectarian lines . After 2013,
2527-620: A terrorist organisation in 2018, despite the Dutch government having earlier provided it with support. The Levant Front's membership includes the major Sunni Islamist groups operating in northern Syria , representing a spectrum of ideologies from hardline Islamism to apolitical factions linked to the Free Syrian Army . The group imposes Sharia law where murder and apostasy in Islam are punishable by death . In Aleppo, media activists accusing
2660-630: A third checkpoint killing and wounding several loyalists. More than a dozen people, including 11 soldiers, were killed in clashes between defectors and loyalists in Basr al-Harir , a town in southern Daraa Governorate , according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Shelling and gunfire were also reported in Deir ez-Zor by the LCC. On 14 January, the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights said there
2793-501: A video on the Internet where Riad al-Asaad spoke alongside several other defectors. Paying homage to the victims killed by the "criminal gangs" of regime's apparatus, Riad Al-Asaad declared the formation of Free Syrian Army: "Proceeding from our nationalistic sense, our loyalty to this people , our sense of the current need for conclusive decisions to stop this regime's massacres that cannot be tolerated any longer, and proceeding from
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#17328513802732926-533: Is a big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29 July 2011 by Colonel Riad al-Asaad and six officers who defected from the Syrian Armed Forces . The officers announced that the immediate priority of the Free Syrian Army was to safeguard the lives of protestors and civilians from the deadly crackdown by Bashar al-Assad 's security apparatus; with
3059-562: Is not correct at all." In response to being asked what the difference between the Islamic Front's and the Islamic State's version of sharia would be, he said "One of their mistakes is before the regime has fallen, and before they've established what in Sharia is called Tamkeen [having a stable state], they started applying Sharia, thinking God gave them permission to control the land and establish
3192-560: Is the Islamic Sharia. The cases are different, from robberies to drug use, to moral crimes. It's our duty to look at any crime that comes to us. ... After the regime has fallen, we believe that the Muslim majority in Syria will ask for an Islamic state. Of course, it's very important to point out that some say the Islamic Sharia will cut off people's hands and heads, but it only applies to criminals. And to start off by killing, crucifying etc. That
3325-496: The Je Suis Charlie slogan as well as a tribute to those who were killed in the attack, which was viewed as anti-Islamic by Ahrar al-Sham and some members were filmed burning copies of the newspaper with "Je Suis Charlie" printed on it, the newspaper's writers responded by saying the publication was taken out of context. On 21 June 2017, the group issued a fatwa permitting it to display the Syrian independence flag . During
3458-464: The Damascus countryside while one of the armed individuals died, additionally that day, two explosive devices were dismantled. More army defections were reported in Damascus on 10 November, three out of at least nine defectors were shot dead by loyalist gunmen after abandoning their posts. The same day, clashes reportedly resulted in the death of a fifteen-year-old boy in Khan Sheikhoun , when he
3591-765: The Egyptian revolution of January 2011, and before the Syrian uprising started in March 2011. Most of the group's founders were Salafist political prisoners who had been detained for years at the Sednaya prison until they were released as part of an amnesty by the Syrian Government in March–May 2011. At the time of its establishment in December 2011, Ahrar al-Sham consisted of about 25 rebel units spread across Syria. On 23 January 2012,
3724-511: The Fastaqim Union , Liwa Ahrar Souriya and the Authenticity and Development Front , on 25 December 2014, the factions announced that they combined their forces into a joint command called the Levant Front. The US-backed Hazzm Movement joined the coalition on 30 January 2015, and announced its dissolution and merger with into other Levant Front factions on 1 March 2015. On 20 February 2015,
3857-607: The Fatah Halab joint operations room. Between May and June 2015, the Trotskyist Leon Sedov Brigade joined the Levant Front. In June 2016, it largely separated from the group, before completely leaving in October 2016. The group announced its reactivation on 18 June. Its new leader is Abu Amr, who was an Ahrar ash-Sham commander. On 29 June, the Levant Front released their charter. Since its reactivation on 18 June,
3990-461: The Fighting Vanguard , an older Syrian Islamist militant faction. According to US intelligence officials, a few al-Qaeda members released from prisons by the Syrian government have been able to influence actions of the group, and install operatives within the senior ranks of Ahrar al-Sham. Such ties were not disclosed publicly until January 2014, when a former senior leader of Ahrar al-Sham,
4123-755: The Lebanese border , according to Reuters. According to Reuters, two rocket propelled grenades hit a Baath party building in Damascus on 20 December, which if confirmed would indicate the FSA had a greater reach than previously believed. However, an AFP reporter went to the area and saw no signs of the claimed attack while residents said that there had been no explosions. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, on 24 November soldiers and Shabiha with armoured vehicles started operations in farmland west of Rastan in Homs province to track down defectors. 24 people died as
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4256-524: The Nusra Front and would have no problems with al-Nusra as long as they continued fighting the regime. Aboud also said Ahrar worked with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in some battles, but that their agenda was disagreeable. He said all parties, whether they were ISIL, al-Nusra, the Islamic Front , or the FSA, shared the same objective of establishing an Islamic state, but they differed as to
4389-617: The Syrian National Council (SNC) in November 2011, agreed to not attack Syrian army units that are staying in their barracks, and concentrate on protecting and defending civilians. In November 2011, "The Free Syrian Army boasts it has as many 25,000 fighters in its ranks, a number challenged by its critics who say the true figure is closer to 1,000". early December, the US International Business Times stated that
4522-520: The Syrian National Council . Although they coordinate with other groups, they maintain their own strict and secretive leadership, receiving the majority of their funding and support from donors in Kuwait. Ahrar al-Sham was credited for rescuing NBC News team including reporter Richard Engel , producer Ghazi Balkiz, cameraman John Kooistra and others after they were kidnapped in December 2012 . While Engel initially blamed pro-Assad Shabiha militants for
4655-657: The Syrian Salvation Government , the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria , or are in the Al-Tanf Deconfliction Zone . The first defections from the Syrian Army during the Syrian uprising may have occurred at the end of April 2011 when the army was sent into Daraa to quell ongoing protests . There were reports that some units refused to fire on protesters and had split from
4788-415: The Syrian uprising (or civil war) running since March 2011, a group of defected Syrian Army officers established the ' Free Syrian Army' to bring down the Assad government. On 29 July 2011, Colonel Riad al-Asaad and a group of uniformed officers announced the formation of the Free Syrian Army or 'Syrian Free Army', with the goals of protecting unarmed protesters and helping to "bring down this regime", in
4921-477: The al-Nusra Front , a now-defunct affiliate of al-Qaeda . From 2017 onward, it increasingly fought against Tahrir al-Sham , an Islamic coalition formed under the initiative of a former Ahrar leader, Abu Jaber Shaykh ; through a merger of Ahrar al-Sham's Jaysh al-Ahrar faction, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham , Nur al-Din Zenki and other militia groups. Ahrar al-Sham has defined itself in this way: The Islamic Movement of
5054-658: The al-Nusra Front . The aim was to prevent attacks on Afrin canton and close the Turkish border to these various Islamist groups. On 24 August 2016, Turkey launched a large-scale military campaign in the northern Aleppo Governorate against both ISIL and the SDF. The Levant Front's northern branch was one of the Syrian National Army factions (SNA) that participated in the operation, which captured Jarabulus , al-Bab , and dozens of other towns in northern Aleppo. On 24 January 2017,
5187-521: The "tactics, strategies or methods". Aboud claimed that in Syria "there are no secular groups". Ahrar al-Sham, and the Islamic Front in general, issued condolences for Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar upon his death. In February 2015, after the Charlie Hebdo shooting carried out by individuals linked to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula , a pro-opposition newspaper printed papers with
5320-623: The Ahrar al-Sham Battalions was officially announced in the Idlib Governorate . In the same announcement, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on the security headquarters in the city of Idlib . "To all the free people of Syria, we announce the formation of the Free Ones of the Levant Battalions," the statement said, according to a translation obtained by the Long War Journal . "We promise God, and then we promise you, that we will be
5453-566: The Aleppo Sharia Court. In September 2013, members of ISIL killed the Ahrar al-Sham commander Abu Obeida Al-Binnishi, after he had intervened to protect a Malaysian Islamic charity; ISIL had mistaken its Malaysian flag for that of the United States . In August 2013, members of the brigade uploaded a video of their downing of a Syrian Air Force MiG-21 over the Latakia province with
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5586-457: The Arab Spring. Salafist groups can look very different from each other but author Markus Holdo identifies three accepted categories of Salafist groups. There are scripturalist Salafis who refuse to participate in politics because they find it useless in achieving their goals, the political Salafist who do engage in politics while seeking to put in place a fundamentalist agenda, and lastly there are
5719-517: The Assyrian Observatory for Human Rights of Ahrar al-Sham executing two Christians in the city. On 26 April 2015, Ahrar al-Sham, along with other major Aleppo based groups, established the Fatah Halab joint operations room. On 14 July 2015, two suicide bombers blew themselves up at an Ahrar al-Sham Movement headquarters killing Abu Abdul Rahman Salqeen (an Ahrar al-Sham leader) and 5-6 others in Idlib province. Mohannad al-Masri, known by
5852-698: The Descendants of Saladin Brigade's leader Mahmoud Khallo was an al-Qaeda member and allied to the PYD; according to Khallo, the Levant Front tortured him until he was handed over to the Turkish security forces. In September 2024, the Levant Front ceased relations with the Turkish-backed Syrian Interim Government and called for the governments dissolution as well as the arrest of SIG prime minister Abdul Rahman Mustafa . This announcement had came after
5985-433: The Dutch public prosecution department declared the Levant Front to be a "criminal organisation of terrorist intent", describing it as a "salafist and jihadistic" group that "strives for the setting up of the caliphate". In an interview an official from the group stated that the Levant Front takes ISIL members and their families captive and will sell them to foreign governments and intelligence agencies for revenue, among
6118-440: The FSA became affected by decreasing discipline, absence of a centralised political leadership, lack of substantial Western support, deteriorating supply of weapons, and diminishing funds; while rival Islamist militias emerged dominant in the armed opposition. Russian military intervention in 2015 ensured Assad's survival and halted the expansion of the FSA. A series of Russian and Iranian-backed counter-offensives launched by
6251-499: The FSA counted 15,000 ex-Syrian soldiers. On 5 November, at least nine people died in clashes between soldiers, protesters and defectors, and four Shabeeha were killed in Idlib reportedly by army deserters. On the same day, the state-news agency SANA reported the deaths of 13 soldiers and policemen as a result of clashes with armed groups. According to SANA, four policemen were also wounded in clashes with an armed group in Kanakir in
6384-507: The FSA was killed by the Syrian army on 17 December according to Local Committee, and opposition source. On 19 December, the FSA suffered its largest loss of life when new defectors tried to abandon their positions and bases between the villages of Kensafra and Kefer Quaid in Idlib province . Activist groups, specifically the Syrian Observatory for Human rights, reported that 72 defectors were killed as they were gunned down during their attempted escape. The Syrian Army lost three soldiers during
6517-406: The FSA would start to receive military support from Turkey , who allowed the rebel army to operate its command and headquarters from the country's southern Hatay province close to the Syrian border, and its field command from inside Syria . The FSA would often launch attacks into Syria's northern towns and cities, while using the Turkish side of the border as a safe zone and supply route. By
6650-539: The Free Men of the Levant is an Islamist, reformist, innovative and comprehensive movement. It is integrated with the Islamic Front and is a comprehensive and Islamic military, political and social formation. It aims to completely overthrow the Assad regime in Syria and build an Islamic state whose only sovereign, reference, ruler, direction, and individual, societal and nationwide unifier is Allah Almighty's Sharia (law). In its first audio address, Ahrar al-Sham stated its goal
6783-480: The Free Syrian Army was documented in videos. On 23 September 2011, the Free Syrian Army merged with the Free Officers Movement ( Arabic : حركة الضباط الأحرار , Ḥarakat aḑ-Ḑubbāṭ al-Aḥrār ); The Wall Street Journal considered the FSA since then the main military defectors group. From 27 September to 1 October, Syrian government forces, backed by tanks and helicopters, led a major offensive on
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#17328513802736916-639: The Freemen of the Levant '), commonly referred to as Ahrar al-Sham , is a coalition of multiple Islamist units that coalesced into a single brigade and later a division in order to fight against the Syrian Government led by Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian Civil War . Ahrar al-Sham was led by Hassan Aboud until his death in 2014. In July 2013, Ahrar al-Sham had 10,000 to 20,000 fighters, which at
7049-495: The Front's spokesman. In January 2013, several of the member organizations of the Syrian Islamic Front announced that they were joining forces with Ahrar al-Sham into a broader group called Harakat Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya (The Islamic Movement of Ahrar al-Sham). In May 2013, Ahrar al-Sham alongside Al-Nusra , ISIL, and the Tawhid Brigade fought the Ghuraba al-Sham Front because of looting and corruption on behalf of Ghuraba al-Sham as well as disputes Ghuraba al-Sham had with
7182-420: The Jihadist Salafis who identify as part of a global jihad and generally find more popularity among younger people. While there may be differences in how Jihadist Salafist groups define the act of jihad, they generally reject the institutional politics of liberal democracy and westernization because "of its inability to deliver the material and ethical goods they demand." Jihadist Salafist do not just rally behind
7315-413: The Levant Front of corruption and otherwise criticizing the group have received threats and faced reprisal attacks. Courts affiliated with the group have also been accused of summary killings by Amnesty International . Following months of negotiations in Turkey and northern Syria between the Islamic Front (mainly the al-Tawhid Brigade ), the Army of Mujahideen , the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement ,
7448-419: The Levant Front operates as a unified group with former members acting as independent groups. Various groups have joined and left the group since its reactivation, such as Abu Amara Battalions and the Thuwar al-Sham Battalions. On 16 November 2015, the Syrian Democratic Forces announced the formation of its branch in the Aleppo and Idlib governorates. The YPG , YPJ , and the Army of Revolutionaries were
7581-415: The Levant Front successfully forced Syrian Army forces to retreat from rural towns in Aleppo; during the clashes group claimed to have killed 300 Syrian soldiers and captured 110. During the same month, the group signed an agreement with the YPG and installed Sharia courts in Sheikh Maqsood and Afrin . On 18 April 2015, the Levant Front announced its dissolution as an alliance, however it stated that
7714-457: The Levant Front's northern branch attacked its former ally and co-SNA group, the Descendants of Saladin Brigade , kidnapping its leader and raiding its bases with other SNA units. This followed the Descendants of Saladin Brigade's declaration that it would not take part in a planned Turkish-led offensive against Afrin Canton , which is ruled by the secular, Kurdish-dominated PYD . The Levant Front reportedly justified this operation by claiming that
7847-449: The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Clashes were also reported in the city of Binnish in Idlib province with a total of 14 fatalities for both affected towns, including rebels, loyalists and civilians. A few days later on 17 October, five government troops were killed in the town of Qusayr in the central province of Homs , near the border with Lebanon , and 17 people were reported wounded in skirmishes with defectors in
7980-432: The Qawafel al-Shuhada and Ansar al-Haqq Brigades (both in Khan Shaykhun ), the al-Tawhid wal-Iman Brigade ( Maarat al-Nu'man , Idlib), the Shahba Brigade ( Aleppo City), the Hassane bin Thabet Brigade ( Darat Izza , Aleppo), and the Salahaddin and Abul-Fida Brigades (both in Hama City). Members of the group are Sunni Islamists. Ahrar al-Sham cooperates with the Free Syrian Army ; however, it does not maintain ties with
8113-602: The Red Crescent reportedly confirmed that 42 civilians and seven National Defence Force (pro-government militia) fighters were killed during the militant attack. Additionally, some pro-Syrian government news sources reported that around 70 civilians, including women and children were kidnapped and taken to Al-Rastan Plains. Some of the captured were pro-government soldiers. In September 2016, Ashida'a Mujahideen Brigade left Ahrar al-Sham, apparently due to Ahrar's support of Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield and lack of willingness to be closer to al-Nusra Front. Ahrar al-Sham
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#17328513802738246-428: The Syrian border. Turkey would allow the FSA to begin operating in nearby towns and encouraged foreign intervention in the Syrian Civil War. In August 2012, the National Unity Brigades was formed. Known for its non-sectarianism . The group included rebels from minority groups such as Christians , Druze , Ismailis , and Alawites . On 6 January 2012, General Mustafa al-Sheikh of the Syrian Army defected from
8379-403: The Syrian people's opposition to the regime", through armed operations and the encouragement of army defections. In 2012, military commanders and civilian leadership of the FSA issued a joint communique pledging to transition Syria towards a pluralistic, democratic republic , after forcing Assad out of power. As the Syrian Army is highly organized and well-armed, the Free Syrian Army adopted
8512-449: The Syrian territories without exception"; "you will find us everywhere at all times, and you will see that which you do not expect, until we re-establish the rights and freedom of our people." Riad al-Assad urged all factions of the Syrian opposition to unite and put an end to internal disputes; until liberation from the dictatorship and formation of a “free, national, democratic” civilian government in Syria. Desertion of soldiers to
8645-581: The Trustees of Raqqa , the brigade acted as a law enforcement unit in Raqqa and cooperated with local Islamic courts in enforcing Sharia law , and reportedly beat an individual in the city per the ruling of a local court. The brigade also took part in humanitarian activities such as food distribution to locals. An internal faction of Ahrar al-Sham, known as the Ashidaa Mujahideen Brigade, led by Abu al-Abd Ashidaa had flogged individuals for not attending Friday prayers. In an Amnesty International report in July 2016, Ahrar al-Sham, along with al-Nusra Front,
8778-468: The abduction, it later turned out that they were "almost certainly" abducted by an FSA affiliated rebel group. There were around 500 people in Ahrar al-Sham in August 2012. In December 2012, a new umbrella organization was announced, called the Syrian Islamic Front , consisting of 11 Islamist rebel organizations. Ahrar al-Sham was the most prominent of these, and a member of Ahrar al-Sham's, Abu 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Suri (aka Abdulrahman Al Soory ), served as
8911-421: The air force intelligence complex was a continuation of clashes in Damascus . The next day, the Free Syrian Army launched an assault against the Baath party youth headquarters in Idlib province with RPGs and small arms. The state news agency SANA reported the deaths of three Syrian troops as a result of a bomb blast, with an officer also critically wounded and two law-enforcement agents injured. Three members of
9044-426: The airbase and the town of Menagh from the Levant Front. According to sources quoted by Reuters , the SDF were supported by Russian airstrikes . The SDF initiated this offensive following the recent Syrian Army offensive on rebel forces in Aleppo supported by Russian airstrikes. The SDF advanced from the Afrin Canton , the westernmost part of Rojava , which had been attacked multiple times by Islamist groups such as
9177-433: The al-Nusra Front backed by Nour al-Din al-Zenki attacked the Army of Mujahideen and the Levant Front west of Aleppo, defeating both. The former two groups then merged with several other Islamist factions and declared the formation of Tahrir al-Sham . The Levant Front's western Aleppo branch and several other former Levant Front groups, such as the Army of Mujahideen and the Fastaqim Union, joined Ahrar al-Sham. In July 2017,
9310-465: The alias Abu Yahia al-Hamawi , was appointed leader in September 2015. Ali al-Omar, known by the alias Abu Ammar al-Omar, was appointed leader in November 2016. In October 2015, Abu Amara Brigades left the Levant Front , which they had joined in February 2015, and joined Ahrar al-Sham. On 21 October 2015, the Jund al Malahim operations room was created as an alliance of Ajnad al Sham, Ahrar al-Sham and Al-Nusra in Rif Dimashq. On 25 February 2016,
9443-413: The ambush. The FSA grew in size, to about 20,000 by December 2011. In the early days of their existence, 90% of the FSA consisted of Sunni Muslims and a small minority were ( Shia ) Alawites , Druze , Christians, Kurds and Palestinians. Western sources in December 2011 again gave estimates of 10,000 Syrian deserters, indicated that half the Syrian army conscripts had not reported to army duty in
9576-449: The armed wing of the Syrian revolution and was able to mobilise the popular anger toward Bashar al-Assad into a successful insurgency. By waging guerilla warfare across the country, it enjoyed a string of successes against far better-equipped government forces. Assad's policy of ignoring protesters' demands alongside the regime's intensifying violence on civilians and protestors led to a full-blown civil war by 2012. The FSA initially pursued
9709-533: The army and we have defected because the government is killing civilian protesters. The Syrian army attacked Hama with heavy weapons, air raids and heavy fire from tanks . … We ask the Arab League observers to come visit areas affected by air raids and attacks so you can see the damage with your own eyes, and we ask you to send someone to uncover the three cemeteries in Hama filled with more than 460 corpses." Syrian forces clashed with army deserters in an area near
9842-512: The army in a year to a year-and-a-half, even if they are armed only with rocket-propelled grenades and light weapons". On 7 January 2012, Colonel Afeef Mahmoud Suleima of the Syrian Air Force logistics division defected from Bashar Al Assad 's regime along with at least fifty of his men. He announced his group's defection on live television and ordered his men to protect protesters in the city of Hama . Colonel Suleiman declared: "We are from
9975-425: The army's responsibility to protect this unarmed free people, we announce the formation of the Free Syrian Army to work hand in hand with the people to achieve freedom and dignity to bring this regime down, protect the revolution and the country's resources, and stand in the face of the irresponsible military machine that protects the regime.” He called on the officers and men of the Syrian army to "defect from
10108-490: The army, stop pointing their rifles at their people's chests, join the free army, and form a national army that can protect the revolution and all sections of the Syrian people with all their sects." He said that those soldiers and officers who didn't defect from the Syrian army "[represents] gangs that protect the regime", and declared that "as of now, the security forces that kill civilians and besiege cities will be treated as legitimate targets. We will target them in all parts of
10241-412: The army. Defections, according to unverified reports, continued throughout the spring as the government used lethal force to clamp down on protesters and lay siege to protesting cities across the country, such as Baniyas , Hama , Talkalakh , and Deir ez-Zor , and there were reports of soldiers who refused to fire on civilians being summarily executed by the army. At the end of July 2011, with
10374-464: The attack. Syrian human rights activists claimed that the Free Syrian Army had killed three loyalist soldiers and captured two others on 29 November, although they did not specify where. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, seven soldiers were killed on 30 November in fighting in the town of Deal in Daraa province after security forces moved on the town in force. The fighting went on from
10507-587: The attackers as a result. On that same day, at least 10 troops and security service agents were killed in clashes with mutinous soldiers in the east of Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deaths occurred in Deir Ezzor , while early the next day a civilian was also killed in the eastern city. Several defectors were also killed or wounded. Sustained clashes in Idlib province began on 26 November between loyalist and opposition fighters. At least 8 soldiers were killed and 40 more wounded that day when
10640-477: The beginning of October, clashes between loyalist and defected army units were being reported fairly regularly. During the first week of the month, sustained clashes were reported in Jabal al-Zawiya in the mountainous regions of Idlib province . On 13 October, clashes were reported in the town of Haara in Daraa province in the south of Syria that resulted in the death of two rebel and six loyalist soldiers, according to
10773-584: The capital Damascus, opposition activists said. The town of Reef Damascus saw fighting on 1 January as the government forces were hunting for suspected defectors, according to the activists. There were no immediate reports of casualties. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human rights, despite a self-declared ceasefire, Free Syrian Army soldiers in Idlib, on 2 January, overran two checkpoints belonging to security forces and captured dozens of loyalist troops, and launched an attack on
10906-409: The city of Qusayr in Homs province was announced to have defected to the opposition. Ahrar al-Sham [REDACTED] Syrian National Army [REDACTED] National Front for Liberation (2018–present) Harakat Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya ( Arabic : حركة أحرار الشام الإسلامية , romanized : Ḥarakat Aḥrār aš-Šām al-Islāmiyah , lit. 'Islamic Movement of
11039-561: The city of Rastan in Homs province , which had been under opposition control for a couple weeks. There were reports of large numbers of defections in the city, and the Free Syrian Army reported it had destroyed 17 armoured vehicles during clashes in Rastan , using RPGs and booby traps . A defected officer in the Syrian opposition claimed that over a hundred officers had defected as well as thousands of conscripts, although many had gone into hiding or home to their families, rather than fighting
11172-497: The city. In November, there were conflicting reports of the number of Syrian soldiers injured and killed. On 11 November, Reuters reported that 26 soldiers were killed, while Syrian state media reported the lower figure of 20 soldiers killed at this time. For the month up until 13 November, the Local Coordination Committees reported the death of about 20 soldiers, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights reported
11305-526: The clash with defectors in Kfar Takharim and two armoured vehicles were destroyed. On 12 December, three civilians and two defectors were killed during clashes in Idlib province. Fighting in Ebita, in the northwestern province of Idlib, continued throughout the night and into the early hours on 12 December. At least one fighter was killed and another injured in the assault. The FSA killed ten troops in an ambush on
11438-434: The clashes. The next day, S.O.H.R. stated that in all 100 defectors were killed or wounded. The clashes continued into the next day, and another report, by Lebanese human rights activist Wissam Tarif, put the death toll even higher with 163 defectors, 97 government troops and nine civilians killed on the second day alone as the military tracked down the soldiers and civilian that managed to initially escape. On 21 December, it
11571-500: The conflict so far. At least five soldiers, including a military officer, are reported to have been killed the same day in an unspecified location. In one of Sunday's clashes, which took place before dawn in the northwestern town of Kfar Takharim, two of the military's armored vehicles were set ablaze, said the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights . Three other vehicles were burned in another clash near
11704-422: The death of more than 100 soldiers, and the Syrian state media SANA reported the death of 71 soldiers. Increased Clashes in Daraa province began on 14 November when 34 soldiers and 12 defectors were killed in an ambush by the free army. The death toll as a result of the fighting also included 23 civilians. One day later on 15 November, eight soldiers and security forces troops were killed by an assault on
11837-461: The early morning to the late afternoon. "Two security force vehicles were blown up. Seven (troops) were killed," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the observatory. An activist from the town, in the province of Daraa, said some 30 busloads of security men stormed Deal and two of the buses were blown up in fighting "between security forces and defectors," the Observatory reported. One of the destroyed buses
11970-431: The edge of the town. The defectors launched an assault on the government held roadblock in retaliation for a raid on their positions the previous night. The next day on 26 October, the opposition reported that nine soldiers were killed by a rocket-propelled grenade when it hit their bus in the village of Hamrat, near the city of Hama . The gunmen who attacked the bus were believed to be defected soldiers. On 29 October,
12103-630: The founding members of the coalition. Subsequently, clashes erupted between the SDF and the Levant Front, comprising Ahrar al-Sham , the al-Nusra Front , and the Mare' Operations Room . On 10 February 2016, the SDF successfully drove out the Levant Front from the Menagh Military Airbase . After days of fierce clashes, the YPG and the Army of Revolutionaries captured a series of villages before reaching and capturing
12236-530: The free army attacked them in Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. "A group of deserters attacked a squad of soldiers and security agents in a convoy of seven vehicles, including three all-terrain vehicles, on the road from Ghadka to Maarat al-Numaan ", the Britain-based watchdog said. "Eight were killed and at least 40 more were wounded. The deserters were able to withdraw without suffering any casualties," it added. The FSA claimed to be behind
12369-401: The government forces to join the FSA. General Mustafa al-Sheikh told Reuters that up to 20,000 soldiers in total had deserted the army since the beginning of the conflict, and that the FSA had taken control of large swathes of land. He said in an interview on 12 January 2012: "If we get 25,000 to 30,000 deserters mounting guerrilla warfare in small groups of six or seven it is enough to exhaust
12502-574: The group experienced disputes about its ideology and aims, resulting in a drift away from Salafist jihadism and toward a localized form of jihadism as well as Syrian nationalism. In 2015, researcher Sam Heller interviewed several Ahrar al-Sham commanders who stated that the group had initially been "something close to 'Salafi-jihadist', though "the group as a whole subsequently diverged from 'Salafi-jihadism'". Instead, Ahrar al-Sham had reportedly begun to espouse "revisionist jihadism" or "post-Salafi-jihadism"; this belief system argued that global jihadism in
12635-399: The group's Sharia office and military wing, while more moderate pragmatists controlled the political office. At this point, researcher Hassan Hassan also voiced doubts about the extent to which Ahrar al-Sham had actually drifted away from Salafist jihadism, as the group's writings (distributed in training camps) was still Salafi jihadist in nature. As a result of the continuing disputes within
12768-585: The group's existence, it has administered localities under its control including areas in the Raqqa Governorate , the Deir ez-Zor Governorate and elsewhere in Syria. Ahrar al-Sham also held strong ties to Syria's Arab tribes in the south and recruited several tribesmen from southern Syria into the group. In 2013, during the opposition's offensive in Raqqa, Ahrar al-Sham established a local affiliate known as Brigade of
12901-575: The group, a faction called " Jaysh al-Ahrar " headed by Abu Jaber Shaykh , a senior commander in Ahrar al-Sham, split from the group and joined Hayat Tahrir al-Sham . Jaysh al-Ahrar later left HTS due to disagreements with the leadership and the resignation of the Saudi cleric Abdullah al-Muhaysini , and went on to join the National Front for Liberation alongside Ahrar al-Sham in 2018. Ahrar al-Sham leader Hassan Aboud stated that Ahrar al-Sham worked with
13034-493: The group, and 27 other senior commanders, including military field commanders, members of the group's Shura council, and leaders of allied brigades. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack. The day after the bombing Abu Jaber was announced as replacement leader. Ahrar ash-Sham received condolences from the al-Qaeda organization Nusra. Ahrar received condolences from other al-Qaeda members. In early November 2014, representatives from Ahrar al-Sham reportedly attended
13167-495: The groups responsible for "repeated indiscriminate attacks that may amount to war crimes " and reported allegations of their use of chemical weapons. On 12 May 2016, Al-Nusra Front fighters attacked and captured the Alawite village of Zara'a , Southern Hama Governorate . Pro-government media reported that Ahrar al-Sham fighters were involved. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that civilians had been kidnapped and
13300-593: The houses at the edges of Saraqeb and arrested three activists at dawn, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Between 1 and 7 December, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported the deaths of 48 members of the state security forces. A military tank was destroyed in Homs on 9 December. Four defected soldiers also apparently died in fighting on 9 December. On 10 December, activists say clashes between Syrian troops and army defectors killed at least two people. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says two army armoured carriers were burned in
13433-570: The international community. ... We want to be part of the solution." Ahrar al-Sham's political representative stated in December 2015 that Ahrar al-Sham are "not related with al Qaeda, we only fight with them against Assad and ISIS". In May 2016, Ahrar al-Sham released an address by then deputy general director Ali al-Omar in which he distinguished Ahrar al-Sham's militancy from the Salafi jihadism of al-Qaeda and IS, and defended its political engagement. During al-Omar's address, he stated that Ahrar al-Sham
13566-480: The last three call-ups, and that lower-level officers were deserting in large numbers; in some cases, whole units had deserted en masse . An anonymously speaking U.S. official however estimated in December 2011 1,000 to 3,500 defectors in total. In 2011, The Turkish government provided free passage to defecting Syrian Army fighters and allowed the FSA to operate from a special refugee camp in Southern Turkey near
13699-458: The loyalist forces. The Battle of Rastan between the government forces and the Free Syrian Army was the longest and most intense action up until that time. After a week of fighting, the FSA was forced to retreat from Rastan. To avoid government forces, the leader of the FSA, Col. Riad Asaad, retreated to the Turkish side of Syrian-Turkish border. By October 2011, the leadership of the FSA consisting of 60–70 people including commander Riad al-Assad
13832-511: The main rebel groups supported by Turkey . On 18 February 2018, Ahrar al-Sham merged with the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement to form the Syrian Liberation Front . The group aims to create an Islamic state under Sharia law . While both are major rebel groups, Ahrar al-Sham is not to be confused with Tahrir al-Sham , its main rival and former ally. Before 2016, Ahrar al-Sham allied with
13965-414: The member factions would continue to coordinate with each other militarily. Reasons behind the split were believed to include a lack of coordination between the groups and increasing defections of its members to other factions. Following its end as a single unified group, it continued to act as a joint operations room. On 26 April 2015, along with other major Aleppo based groups, the Levant Front established
14098-459: The more extreme al-Nusra Front, had "embraced the language of jihad and called for an Islamic state based on Salafi principles." Around the same time, Institute for the Study of War researcher Elizabeth O'Bagy stated that Ahrar al-Sham consisted of "conservative Islamist, and often Salafist, member units" and also included "many Salafi-jihadists". She further paralleled the group's ideology to that of
14231-500: The nations listed included the United States and United Arab Emirates , rewards for captured ISIL members are over 10 million USD and the transactions are arranged by brokers and Turkish officials. Free Syrian Army [REDACTED] AANES Factions : Non-state allies Non-state opponents Syrian-affiliated groups Shi'ite groups YPG and Allies The Free Syrian Army ( FSA ; Arabic : الجيش السوري الحر , romanized : al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur )
14364-644: The northwest of Syria ( Idlib and Aleppo Governorates ), the central region ( Homs and Hama Governorates , Al-Rastan District ), the coast around Latakia , the south ( Daraa Governorate and the Houran plateau ), the east ( Deir ez-Zor Governorate , Abu Kamal District ), and the Damascus Governorate . FSA was then armed with rifles, light and heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and explosive devices. Their largest concentrations were in Homs, Hama and surrounding areas. The FSA, after consultation with
14497-485: The now deceased Abu Khalid al-Suri , acknowledged his long-time membership in al-Qaeda and role as Ayman al-Zawahiri's representative in the Levant. However, Ahrar al-Sham had a Syrian leadership which "emphasize[d] that its campaign is for Syria, not for a global jihad". In general, the group did not advertise its most extreme ideological elements, and was willing to cooperate with secular Syrian rebel factions. Some scholars have argued for Ahrar al-Sham to be noted as
14630-429: The opposition reported that 17 pro-Assad soldiers were killed in the city of Homs during fighting with suspected army deserters, including a defected senior official who was aiding the rebel soldiers. Two armoured personnel carriers were disabled in the fighting. Later the number of casualties was revised to 20 killed and 53 wounded soldiers in clashes with presumed army deserters, according to Agence France Presse . In
14763-463: The opposition reported that clashes occurred between loyalists and defectors in Burhaniya , near the town of Qusayr in the central province of Homs , leading to the death of several soldiers and the destruction of two military vehicles. A week later on 25 October, clashes occurred in the northwestern town of Maarat al-Numaan in Idlib province between loyalists and defected soldiers at a roadblock on
14896-567: The pre-dawn clash in the northwestern town of Kfar Takharim. On 11 December, it was reported that a battle was fought between defectors and the Syrian army in Busra al-Harir and Lujah . Troops, mainly from the 12th Armoured Brigade, based in Isra, 40 km from the border with Jordan, stormed the nearby town of Busra al-Harir, the Reuters news agency reported. It was apparently the largest battle to take place in
15029-409: The regime in 2016 eroded the significant territorial gains made by the FSA and severely weakened its command structure. After the Turkish military intervention in Syria in 2016, and as other countries began to scale back their involvement, many FSA militias became more dependent on Turkey , which became a sanctuary and source of supplies. From late August 2016, the Turkish government assembled
15162-457: The security forces were reportedly killed on between 18 and 19 November by the Free Syrian Army. Multiple attacks on 19 December by armed groups were also reported by the state news agency SANA. State news also reported that ten wanted armed individuals were captured in Maarat al-Numan . On 23 November, five defected soldiers were killed; four in a farm near Daraa where they were hiding and one near
15295-472: The security forces, including an officer, at the southern city of Deal in Daraa province on 5 December. On 7 December, there were clashes between the Syrian regular army and groups of army defectors near the radio broadcasting centre in the town of Saraqeb , in Idib district . An armoured personnel carrier (APC) of the regular army was destroyed during the clashes. Meanwhile, joint security and military forces raided
15428-482: The southern village of Busra al-Harir , the group said. Similar battles took place in several other parts of the south, said the Observatory and another activist group called the Local Coordination Committees. Syrian army defectors, who operate under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, say that a senior army officer was killed on 11 December after refusing to fire on civilians in Homs. Maher al-Nueimi,
15561-497: The time made it the second most powerful unit fighting against al-Assad, after the Free Syrian Army . It was the principal organization operating under the umbrella of the Syrian Islamic Front and was a major component of the Islamic Front . With an estimated 20,000 fighters in 2015, Ahrar al-Sham became the largest rebel group in Syria after the Free Syrian Army became less powerful. Ahrar al-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam are
15694-457: The town of Hass in Idlib province near the mountain range of Jabal al-Zawiya , although it was unclear if the wounded included civilians. According to the London-based organization, an estimated 11 government soldiers were killed that day, four of which were killed in a bombing. It was not clear if the defectors linked to these incidents were connected to the Free Syrian Army. On 20 October,
15827-452: The tradition of al-Qaeda and IS was doomed to fail, and instead argued for a "jihad that balances between the ideological leadership of an elite vanguard and populist energy". According to Heller, the group's drift away from Salafist jihadism had mainly taken place in 2014, as the group had begun to oppose the Islamic State which espouses Salafist jihadism. In August 2015, Ahrar al-Sham commander Eyad Shaar said "We are part of Syrian society and
15960-474: The ultimate goal of accomplishing the objectives of the Syrian revolution , namely, the end to the decades-long reign of the ruling al-Assad family . In late 2011, the FSA was the main Syrian military defectors group. Initially a formal military organization at its founding, its original command structure dissipated by 2016, and the FSA identity has since been used by various Syrian opposition groups. The Free Syrian Army aims to be "the military wing of
16093-451: The village of Hirak in Daraa province. The FSA engaged loyalist army units and security service agents south of Damascus on 15 December, leading to 27 loyalist deaths and an unknown number of FSA casualties. The clashes broke out at three separate checkpoints in Daraa province around dawn Between 8 and 15 December, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported the deaths of 68 members of the state security forces. A lieutenant colonel of
16226-693: Was a new school of Islamism born out of three other currents created after the fall of the Ottoman Empire , those currents being political organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood , prostelyzation movements like the Tablighi Jamaat , and the general Jihadist movement, and that Ahrar al-Sham combines elements of these currents into its own methodology and practices establishing it as a new school of Islamism. However, various ideological factions peristed within Ahrar al-Sham; hardliners still dominated
16359-672: Was allegedly empty. On 1 December, FSA troops launched a raid on an intelligence building in Idlib , leading to a three-hour firefight in which eight loyalists were killed. This came the same day the United Nations announced it considered Syria to be in a state of civil war. On 3 December, clashes in the city of Idlib in the north of Syria the next day resulted in the death of seven Assad loyalist soldiers, five defectors and three civilians. On 4 December, heavy fighting raged in Homs during which at least five FSA insurgents were killed and one wounded. Defected soldiers killed four members of
16492-477: Was appointed by Ayman al-Zawahiri to act as a mediator between Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the faction at the time mostly existing in eastern Syria, in particular in Hasakah and having a pro-Caliphate outlook, that allied with ISIL and held ties with Ansar al-Islam with a number of Ahrar al-Sham members later joining ISIL during the group's presence there. In this year,
16625-658: Was caught in crossfire between Assad loyalists and the free army. Also on 10 November "at least four soldiers in the regular army were killed at dawn in an attack, headed by armed men – probably deserters – on a military checkpoint in Has region, near Maaret al-Numan town" according to the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights . However, the number has also been put at five soldiers. A checkpoint in Maarat al-Numaan three kilometers south of Homs also came under attack by defectors, resulting in an increase in tank deployment by Syrian security forces in
16758-755: Was described as having "applied a strict interpretation of Shari'a and imposed punishments amounting to torture or other ill-treatment for perceived infractions." A political activist was abducted and detained by Ahrar al-Sham for having not worn a veil and accused of affiliation with the Syrian government. At least three children have been recorded to be abducted by Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham between 2012 and 2015. Lawyers and political activists have faced reprisal attacks by Ahrar al-Sham and other Islamist rebel groups due to their political activities and perceived religious beliefs. Mohamed Najeeb Bannan, an Islamic Front Sharia Court judge in Aleppo , stated, "The legal reference
16891-472: Was dissolving, and that its components would henceforth operate as part of the newly formed Islamic Front . In December 2013, there were reports of fighting between ISIL and another Islamic rebel group in the town of Maskana, Aleppo; activists reported that the Islamic rebel group was identified as Ahrar al-Sham. On 23 February 2014, one of the top commanders and al-Qaeda representative, Abu Khalid al-Suri,
17024-507: Was fighting between deserters and loyalist troops in Hula, Homs province, after the defectors destroyed a barricade and a number of security forces were killed or wounded. In mid-January, the FSA managed to take control over the border town of Zabadani , just 14 miles away from the capital, Damascus . Regular army forces tried to assault the town several times but as of 16 January all attacks were repelled. On 16 January General Mouaffac Hamzeh in
17157-499: Was harbored in an 'officers' camp' in Turkey guarded by the Turkish military. In early November 2011, two FSA units in the Damascus area confronted regime forces. In mid-November, in an effort to weaken the pro-Assad forces, the FSA released a statement which announced that a temporary military council had been formed. In October 2011, an American official said the Syrian military might have lost perhaps 10,000 to defections. By October,
17290-604: Was in charge of receiving weapons for the group. On 24 November 2014, a US airstrike on the IS headquarters building in Ma'dan, Raqqa , killed another Ahrar al-Sham fighter, who was being held prisoner by IS. The New York Times reported that the pro Al-Qaeda Saudi cleric Abdullah Al-Muhaisini ordered that Christians in Idlib were not to be killed, and that Christians were being defended by Ahrar al-Sham. However, according to Middle East Christian News, there were subsequent unconfirmed reports from
17423-602: Was killed in a suicide bombing in Aleppo, organized by ISIL. In March 2015, the Suqour al-Sham Brigade merged with Ahrar al-Sham, but left in September 2016. Later in September, Suqour al-Sham joined the Army of Conquest , a group which also has Ahrar al-Sham as a member. On 9 September 2014, a bomb went off during a high-level meeting in Idlib province, killing Hassan Abboud , the leader of
17556-527: Was reported that the FSA had taken control over large swathes of Idlib province including some towns and villages. It was also reported on 24 December that the FSA stronghold in the Bab Amr neighbourhood of Homs was under attack by security forces, with two FSA soldiers killed. A week later, a minute long fire fight erupted between FSA forces and government security forces, on a road near the village of Dael in Daraa province . Four government soldiers were killed in
17689-435: Was to replace the Assad government with a Sunni Islamic state . It acknowledged the need to take into account the population's current state of mind. It also described the uprising as a jihad against a Safawi ( Iranian Shi'ite ) plot to spread Shia Islam and establish a Shia state from Iran through Iraq and Syria, extending to Lebanon and Palestine . Newspaper The New Arab argued that "Ahrar Al-Sham started as
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