Syrian Kurdish Revolutionary Council (Komala)
46-747: 16th Division ( late 2013 ) The Saladin Ayubi Brigade ( Arabic : لواء صلاح الدين الأيوبي , Kurdish : Serhêza Selah Eldîn El Eyûbî ) was a mainly- Syrian Kurdish armed rebel group that fought in the Syrian Civil War as part of the Free Syrian Army . Formed in May 2012 and named after the early Kurdish Muslim leader Saladin , the group was led by defected Syrian Army Captain Bewar Mustafa and fought against Syrian government forces in and around
92-406: A chief ISIL commander. By this point, 70 –120 government troops had remained, holding out in a small section of the complex. The attack began when two foreign suicide bombers from ISIL's JAMWA , one of them a Saudi , drove a BMP infantry fighting vehicle up to the airport's command center and blew themselves up, destroying the building and killing or scattering the defenders. Despite this,
138-584: A crucial military base used by the Syrian Air Force to bomb rebel forces in the north of the country, particularly in Aleppo city. The first major rebel assault against the base came in the weeks following the start of the battle of Aleppo . Rebel fighters from the Free Syrian Army and affiliated groups launched an attack against the air base on 2 August 2012 using a combination of small arms, rocket-propelled grenades , and five tanks they had captured during
184-498: A large car bomb in the government-held area of Menagh, which killed 12 soldiers and destroyed many buildings within the airport. The explosion was reportedly followed by missile fire on Army positions. After ten months of siege warfare, the various rebel groups at Menagh Air Base finally decided to coordinate in order to launch a large-scale assault to capture the base. Several insurgent militias taking part in this coordinated effort were actually hostile toward each other (for example,
230-949: A village near Afrin . On 12 May, Captain Bewar Mustafa, a military engineer in the Syrian Army, defected to join the Free Syrian Army in the city of al-Rastan . Mustafa was among the FSA officers who met with members of the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria in Rastan. Later in mid-2012, Mustafa contacted members of the Saladin Ayubi Battalion and arrived in Afrin to join the group as its commander. After more fighters joined
276-549: Is automatically against sectarianism . We are the Free Syrian Army for all Syrians , not just for one group, and the Kurds in this are a moderating force." Lieutenant Colonel Shawqi Othman, another commander in the group, also stated that "We want a civil , democratic government which treats everyone equally". Despite ideological differences, the Saladin Ayubi Brigade closely cooperated with Islamist rebel groups, including
322-539: The 16th Division was formed, with the Saladin Ayubi Brigade as a member group. The pro-PYD Firat News Agency considered fighters of the group to be "mercenaries", and the 16th Division itself was considered "criminal gangs" by some residents in Aleppo, resulting in the group being attacked by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant since October 2013. As part of the 16th Division, the Saladin Ayubi Brigade fought ISIL in Aleppo at
368-504: The Afrin region, bringing critical military and logistical supplies to the air base. The Kurdish Front Brigade also withdrew its participation in the siege in order to join forces with the YPG to repel the attack on Afrin. On 7 June, rebel forces attacked the air base and fired tank shells at its command building, but were once again repelled. Rebel forces launched another assault on 10 June, and by
414-599: The Azadî Battalion along the frontline south of Aleppo International Airport . On 26 October 2012, clashes erupted between the YPG and other rebel groups, including the Saladin Ayubi Brigade, in the Ashrafiya neighbourhood of Aleppo. During the clashes on 1 November, the Saladin Ayubi Brigade captured Nujin Derik, a female YPG commander. The group, however, denied involvement in the clashes, and stated that it did not want to fight
460-716: The Iraq–Syria border by unknown parties. The officers were heading to Iraqi Kurdistan to join the Peshmerga . One of the officers' relatives accused the PYD of involvement in their abductions. In September 2013, clashes renewed between the YPG and its ally, the Kurdish Front , and other rebel groups in Aleppo, including the Saladin Ayubi Brigade, part of the Syrian Kurdish Revolutionary Council (Komala). On 19 September,
506-526: The Northern Storm Brigade had clashed with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as late as July 2013); nevertheless, they put their differences mostly aside for the final attack on the base. The rebels prepared their assault with a three-day long bombardment using artillery, mortars, and machine-guns. The attack was carried out on 5 August 2013, led by jihadist Abu Omar al-Shishani ,
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#1732869097473552-622: The Turkish military operation in Afrin against the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the Afrin Region . On 28 February, Tahrir al-Sham besieged the headquarters of the 23rd Division in the village of Qah in the northern Idlib Governorate . After less than an hour of clashes, Tahrir al-Sham fighters captured the headquarter and seized equipment and weapons. In May 2018, along with 10 other rebel groups in northwestern Syria,
598-521: The al-Nusra Front . However, on the next day the commander of Jaysh al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, Salahuddin al-Shishani , stated that al-Ukraini signed the agreement without consulting him and the rest of Jaysh al-Muhajireen and Ansar's leadership. Al-Shishani denounced the Badr Martyrs' Brigade as apostates "supported by the infidel West " through the Supreme Military Council , and rejected
644-620: The al-Tawhid Brigade and the Free Syria Brigade . The group defended this alliance by claiming that it was a way for them to "pay its dues to the revolution". It also fought alongside the Salafist jihadist al-Nusra Front . However, Capt. Mustafa exclaimed that "I swear to God , if some radicals want to go kill the Alawites , we will fight with our guns and die to defend the Alawites because we are
690-422: The battle of Anadan . The base was used by Syrian Air Force helicopters and jet aircraft to bombard rebel positions, and seizing it was seen as vital to the rebels in their advances across northern Syria. The initial rebel attack was repelled by government troops entrenched inside the air base's perimeter, though rebel commanders said they would continue the siege and capture the base. Heavy fighting broke out on
736-484: The 16th Division's territory in northern Aleppo was overran by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant . During the ISIL offensive, ISIL fighters captured a 16th Division base and found a large quantity of gold , cash in the form of United States dollars , hashish , and gas cylinders used in the production of hell cannons used by the group. In November 2013, in response to the "aggression" on their "brothers" of ISIL by
782-489: The 16th Division, the al-Aqsa Brigade defected from the 16th Division. In February 2014, the Badr Martyrs' Brigade of the 16th Division clashed with the foreign jihadist -led Jaysh al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar over the Haritan and Mallah areas of Aleppo. An agreement was then signed on 16 February between Badr Martyrs' Brigade leader Abdul Khaliq Lahyani and Jaysh al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar representative Abu Karim al- Ukraini under
828-544: The 23rd Division formed the National Front for Liberation , which was officially announced on 28 May. By 2020, most of the 23rd Division's fighters came from Tell Rifaat in the northern Aleppo Governorate. On 8 August 2020, the Levant Front, which accused the 23rd Division of "inciting hatred and strife, abetting infighting, and comprising corrupt officials", stormed the group's headquarters Azaz and Afrin , taking over
874-566: The 23rd Division's bases and capturing its leaders and their escorts. The 3rd Legion of the Syrian National Army, led by the Levant Front, then made a court decision ordering the disbandment of the 23rd Division and the transfer of its members who were not arrested during the attack to other groups within the legion. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , the 16th Division's Badr Martyrs Brigade, led by Khaled Hayani,
920-823: The Levant [REDACTED] Syrian Arab Republic [REDACTED] Col. Abdul Jabbar al-Oqaidi (Aleppo military council) [REDACTED] Amar al-Dadikhi ( WIA ) (Northern Storm Brigade) [REDACTED] Capt. Ahmed Ghazali (Northern Storm Brigade) [REDACTED] Abu Marwan (Northern Storm Brigade) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Abu Omar al-Shishani (JAMWA and ISIL top commander) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Abu Jandal al-Masri ( JAMWA and ISIL commander ) Al-Tawhid Brigade [REDACTED] Syrian Army [REDACTED] Syrian Air Force 300 (as of January 2013) 200+ (as of May 2013) 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 The siege of Menagh Air Base (also spelled Menegh , Mannagh , or Minakh )
966-624: The SRF to provide military assistance to the YPG-led forces fighting against the ISIL offensive. Komala withdrew from the SRF on 6 October when it failed to respond. In 2015, Captain Bewar Mustafa laid down his arms, and the Saladin Ayubi Brigade last appeared in July 2015. During the Operation Olive Branch in early 2018, Mustafa called FSA fighters participating in the offensive "mercenaries" and "a tool in
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#17328690974731012-505: The YPG in Kurdish areas. On 5 November, a ceasefire agreement was signed between the YPG and PYD and FSA groups in Aleppo, promising the release of prisoners and closer cooperation in the fight against the Assad government. Derik was released 5 days later. On 15 April 2013, 8 defected Kurdish military officers from Syria, including Lt. Col. Shawqi Othman of the Saladin Ayubi Brigade, were kidnapped at
1058-613: The YPG in it". Lt. Col. Othman claimed that the PYD and PKK were allied with the Syrian government. Mohammed Suleiman, an activist who worked with the Saladin Ayubi Brigade, called the PKK " mercenaries and criminals". Despite this, he stated that "If the choice is between Jabhat al-Nusra or the PKK, I will always choose the PKK." The Saladin Ayubi Battalion was formed in May 2012 by a group of armed Kurdish rebels, among them university students, in
1104-517: The agreement as invalid. In January 2015, the al-Nusra Front captured 11 fighters from the 16th Division in Aleppo during the former's conflict with the Hazzm Movement . In response, the 16th Division called for the unconditional release of its fighters. On 7 December 2015, the 16th Division and the Knights of Justice Brigade conducted a joint bombing of the Syrian government defence laboratory in
1150-579: The army for all Syrians." In response to accusations that the Saladin Ayubi Brigade served agendas of Turkey , Mustafa replied with "First, I am a Kurd. I am proud of my nation . I do not need Turkey or any other country to guide me." In addition, Mustafa denied any affiliation with Salah Badr al-Din's wing of the Kurdish Freedom Party. Mustafa also stated in August 2013 that due to ideological differences, he will not join "any Kurdish project that has
1196-536: The auspices of Ahrar al-Sham representative Abu Amir al-Shami, in which the two groups agreed to release their prisoners from the other party and to work together against the Syrian government, and the Badr Martyrs' Brigade agreed to not set up military headquarters in and around Mallah and to hand over houses to Jaysh al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, while Jaysh al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar agreed for its fighters to remain in these houses and its headquarters, not to stand masked at checkpoints which were to be manned by Ahrar al-Sham and
1242-471: The base after rebel fighters stormed it, which forced the rebels to retreat. A rebel attack was once again repulsed by government troops on 28 April, though rebels did manage to overrun some parts of the base before being forced to withdraw. On 5 May, as the siege of the base continued and government soldiers still refused to surrender, rebels launched their biggest offensive against the base to date, overrunning several Army positions and moving deep inside
1288-481: The base and capturing a tank, although they came under heavy aerial attack by the Air Force. Rebels claimed that a group of pilots defected and assassinated the base's commanding officer. The defecting pilots told rebels that around 200 soldiers remained in the base, garrisoned in the headquarters building supported by a handful of tanks. Many soldiers resorted to sleeping under tanks, fearing a rebel assault. On 9 May, it
1334-514: The base during the battle, surrendered themselves (and two tanks) the next day to the Kurdish-led YPG in Afrin, located about 15 kilometers west of the airbase. It was later reported that the surrendered troops were from the 17th Division and some officers from those surrendered troops were turned over by the YPG to the al-Nusra Front in exchange for Arab and Kurdish YPG prisoners al-Nusra captured from previous battles. Al-Nusra then executed
1380-605: The central Khalidiya district of Aleppo. Since November 2015, the group took part in the indiscriminate shelling of Sheikh Maqsoud , which killed dozens of civilians and sparked a retaliation from the People's Protection Units (YPG), which killed several of its members in April 2016. During the northern Aleppo offensive (June-July 2016) , the 16th Division suffered heavy casualties, including 29 killed, more than 54 wounded, and 7 missing, its headquarter overran, and its commanders, including
1426-774: The city of Aleppo . It was also strongly opposed to the Kurdish-led Democratic Union Party (PYD), and have clashed with the PYD-affiliated People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) several times. Although the majority of fighters within the Saladin Ayubi Brigade were Kurds, the group also contained Arabs and Turkmen . Capt. Bewar Mustafa, commander of the group, stated during an interview in February 2013 that "We believe in democracy , equal rights for all, and representation . This
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1472-588: The end of 2013. On 4 April 2014, the Syrian Kurdish Revolutionary Council (Komala), having left the 16th Division, joined the Syrian Revolutionaries Front . In its accession statement, Capt. Bewar Mustafa called the PYD "tools of repression and intimidation by the Assad regime". Despite this, Mustafa and the Komala announced solidarity with Kobanî when ISIL attacked the city in September 2014, and demanded
1518-534: The group was active mainly in the city Aleppo and its surroundings. After rebel lines in Aleppo collapsed due to advances by the Syrian Army during the Battle of Aleppo in mid-2016, the 16th Division suffered heavy casualties and was dissolved. Remnants of the group then formed the 23rd Division ( Arabic : الفرقة 23 ). The Syrian National Army faction of the group in northern Aleppo was disbanded after its leadership
1564-544: The group, it was renamed as the Saladin Ayubi Brigade. It participated in clashes against government forces around Aleppo, before entering the city itself and taking part in the Battle of Aleppo . Under the command of Capt. Mustafa, the group fought in the Karm al-Jabal, Ashrafiya, Khalidiya, and Bani Zaid neighbourhoods of Aleppo city. It also took part in the Siege of Menagh Air Base , the Siege of Nubl and Al-Zahraa , and cooperated with
1610-420: The hands of their masters, even against their own kinsmen". He also claimed that "both sides are going to lose". 16th Division (Syrian rebel group) Former: Former: Qah , Idlib Governorate (2016–18) The 23rd Division ( Arabic : الفرقة 23 ) or 16th Infantry Division ( Arabic : الفرقة 16 مشاة ) was a Syrian rebel group affiliated with the Free Syrian Army . Formed in September 2013,
1656-454: The next day had managed to secure the control tower after heavy fighting. Government forces responded by shelling rebel held parts of the base. On 17 June, rebels clashed with pro-government fighters from Nubl and Al-Zahraa who were headed for Menagh in an effort to reinforce the remaining soldiers inside the base. On 23 June, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a pro-opposition war observer, reported that rebels had detonated
1702-614: The night of 27 December and continued "all night", as rebels had once again assaulted the besieged base. MiG warplanes bombed rebel positions on the outskirt of the base in an effort to alleviate some of the pressure on the defenders. By January 2013, the base still held out against the rebels, despite being besieged on all sides. The remaining defenders were receiving supplies of weapons and food, as well as medical evacuations by helicopter; however, these flights became increasingly risky for pilots as rebel forces gained access to heavy weaponry and fired upon government helicopters. At this point
1748-436: The officers they had received. The YPG later apologized for the incident. The fall of Menagh Air Base fortified rebel control over much of north-western Syria. The role of JAMWA in the siege, however, strengthened outside perception of the Syrian insurgency as one relying heavily on foreign jihadists. Islamist extremists generally portrayed the victory as being one for their cause. Regional expert Joanna Paraszczuk argued that
1794-460: The rebels and claimed to have attempted but failed to kill the base commander, who was later captured as he attempted to retreat with his men. Though most of the aircraft which had originally been stationed at the airbase was distributed to other bases during the siege, the Syrian Air Force lost at least five Mil Mi-8 helicopters at Menagh. About 70 Syrian soldiers, who managed to flee from
1840-404: The rebels estimated roughly 300 soldiers remained defending the air base. Soldiers who defected from the base reported that food supplies were a major issue and that soldiers were given rations of dry rice and wheat and told to "make what they can from it". Self-inflicted injuries were also reported as soldiers attempted to escape the fighting. On 8 February, the Syrian Air Force bombed parts of
1886-410: The surviving soldiers continued to offer heavy resistance as ISIL, along with FSA and Islamist forces, stormed the base from three sides. By the morning of the next day, however, rebel forces had full control of the airport. In course of the final battle, 32 government soldiers and at least 19 rebels were killed. According to the insurgents, on the morning of the final attack, ten soldiers defected to
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1932-405: The top leader, Abdul Khaliq Lahyani, resigned and was relieved of all duties. A new commander, former Syrian Air Force Colonel Hassan Rajoub, was appointed. Subsequently, the group went defunct. Following the 16th Division's dissolution in July 2016, remnants of the group, led by Col. Hassan Rajoub, regrouped and formed the 23rd Division. Since January 2018, the group have participated in
1978-512: Was an armed confrontation between the Syrian Armed Forces and the Free Syrian Army and aligned Islamist opposition groups during the Syrian civil war . After months of conflict and failure on the part of the rebels to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad 's government, some rebel factions changed strategy and began targeting government-held military bases. The Menagh Air Base had been
2024-581: Was attacked by the Levant Front in August 2020, with its other members were transferred to other groups under the SNA's 3rd Legion. The 16th Division was formed on 19 September 2013 as a merger of 10 rebel groups in the city of Aleppo. Its main subgroup, the Badr Martyrs' Brigade, was infamous for robbery , kidnapping , extortion , and most notably mass looting of factories in Aleppo districts and shipping truckloads of looted items to Turkey . In October 2013,
2070-535: Was reported that, although they managed to capture parts of the Menagh Air Base, rebel fighters were forced to retreat from the base due to heavy air strikes. On 28 May, rebel sources reported that the government conducted a successful airborne resupply mission to the Menagh base after several thousand FSA and jihadist rebels moved west to launch an attack on Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG) in
2116-532: Was responsible for the deaths of more than 203 civilians, including 42 children, at least 25 women, and 136 men, with more than 900 wounded, 175 of them seriously, in the city of Aleppo between July and December 2014 with hell cannons and other mortars , in addition to improvised explosive devices . Siege of Menagh Air Base Rebel victory [REDACTED] Free Syrian Army [REDACTED] Syrian Islamic Liberation Front [REDACTED] Al-Nusra Front [REDACTED] Islamic State of Iraq and
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