Misplaced Pages

#882117

40-717: The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade was originally set up in 2012, largely based on "local and familial ties, rather than ideology". At this stage connected to mainstream Syrian rebel bodies like the Supreme Military Council and Southern Front , the brigade became increasingly isolated from other groups, owing to accusations that it was affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The group gained attention when it abducted 21 Filipino UN soldiers in early March 2013, releasing them on 10 March 2013. The group justified

80-409: A Diwan of Hisbah the group also established a Diwan of Services based on ISIL's, which released photos also modeled after ISIL's style of photo releases depicting themes of common life in areas under their control, nature, and fighting. The rebel Army of Conquest and Southern Front imposed a siege on the group's territory causing the prices of meat, fuel and water to increase. In April and May 2015,

120-651: A few small units. Between 6 and 7 December 2013, the al-Nusra Front and/or the ISIL raided warehouses under direct control of the SMC at the Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing with Turkey and captured weapons and equipment. The warehouses, one of the largest held by the rebels at the time, held numerous weapons and equipment supplied to the SMC by Saudi Arabia , Qatar , the United States , United Kingdom , France , and other foreign supporters of

160-739: A member of the Unified Military Command of Eastern Ghouta ), along with other groups formed Jund al-Malahm, an operations room in the Eastern Ghouta area of Damascus, in direct competition with the Unified Military Command of Eastern Ghouta operations room. On 20 June, the Army of Conquest in the southern region was established and immediately took part in the campaign in Quneitra . The coalition includes Ahrar al-Sham , al-Nusra Front ,

200-499: A military offensive in Aleppo directed by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. In general, over the past years Qatar's support for the al-Nusra front has remained constant in spite of the group's rebranding operation and several strategic alliances and mergers. In fact, Qatar's sponsorship for the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria was in line with Doha's strategy to expand its regional influence by investing on

240-489: A religious judge and leader. He was targeted by U.S. Treasury Sanctions on 10 November 2016, for his role as mediator and recruiter on behalf of the al-Nusra Front. Notably, Muhaysini also collected material and financial support for al-Nusra from the Gulf, especially, Qatar, and was known for his public endorsement of Qatar-based " Madid Ahl al-Sham ", a most effective fundraising campaign which al-Nusra itself acknowledged as "one of

280-420: A series of reforms made by the group earlier in the year, such as the group changing the flag in its logo to the flag of ISIL and adopting an administrative model similar to that of ISIL. The first claims of the group's affiliation with ISIL did not occur until December 2014, with al-Nusra launching an offensive against the group in response, other groups allied with al-Nusra later joined in on the offensive against

320-463: A split from Jaysh al-Fatah, reportedly due to disagreements with Ahrar al-Sham over the application of Islamic law in areas under their control. Following this development, there were unconfirmed reports that al-Nusra Front , in an act of solidarity with Jund al-Aqsa, left the coalition, or that Jund al-Aqsa would be rejoining Jaysh al-Fateh. In January 2016, the Sham Legion announced it was leaving

360-616: A statement that he "disbanded the Supreme Military Council". On 25 September 2014, according to CNN , the Supreme Military Council allied with the Syriac Military Council to fight against the Syrian government and ISIL. Army of Conquest The Army of Conquest ( Arabic : جيش الفتح ) or Jaish al-Fatah , abbreviated JaF , was a joint command center of Sunni Islamist Syrian rebel factions participating in

400-587: A unified command structure of the Free Syrian Army . The participants elected a 30-member Supreme Military Council, which then selected Brigadier General Salim Idris as Chief of Staff. The 30 members of the council were divided in groups of six, with each group representing one of five fronts : Southern ( Daraa , Damascus , and as-Suwayda ), Western ( Hama , Latakia and Tartus ), Northern ( Aleppo and Idlib ), Eastern ( Deir ez-Zor , al-Hasakah and Raqqa ), and Central ( Homs and al-Rastan ). The council

440-549: The Army of Khalid ibn al-Walid , a companion of the Prophet Muhammad . Supreme Military Council (Syria) The Supreme Military Council ( SMC ) ( Arabic : المجلس العسكري الأعلى , also called the Supreme Military Command ) was the highest military leadership of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) from late 2012 to at least mid-2014. The establishment of the organisation was announced on 7 December 2012 with

SECTION 10

#1732858862883

480-758: The Daraa Governorate . While the two groups were initially able to take control of several villages and towns, opposition forces eventually pushed them back. At least two important brigade commanders were killed during the conflict, among them Abu Tahrir, a Syria Revolutionaries Front defector. As a result of the failed offensive, the Islamic Muthanna Movement and the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade were severely weakened, leading to rumors they had merged. On 24 May 2016, they along with Jaysh al-Jihad officially united to form Khalid ibn al-Walid Army , or

520-633: The Islamic Muthanna Movement , first expressing some kind of affinity to the Islamic State and adopted more Islamic symbols and insignia. Nevertheless, the groups officially remained part of the Southern Front and took part in the First Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin . In 2014, the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade began facing accusations made by al-Nusra that the group was an affiliate of ISIL due to

560-767: The Syrian Civil War . The alliance was formed in March 2015 under the supervision and coordination of Saudi cleric Abdullah al-Muhaysini . It consisted of Islamist rebel factions mainly active in the Idlib Governorate , with some factions active in the Hama and Latakia Governorates . In the course of the following months, it seized most of Idlib Governorate. The Institute for the Study of War has described Jaish al-Fatah as an "anti-regime" and "anti- Hezbollah " powerbroker operating in

600-584: The Fatah al-Sham Coalition, Ihyaa al-Jihad Brigade, Mujahideen of Nawa Gathering, Lions of Unity Brigade, Ansar al-Haq Brigade, and the Islamic Brigade of al- Omarein. In July 2016, the al-Nusra Front renamed itself as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham , restructured the group further, and began to create propaganda to support their offensives across the Aleppo Governorate . On 23 October 2015, Jund al-Aqsa announced

640-526: The Idlib, Hama, Daraa and Quneitra Governorates. Jaish al-Fatah has been described by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change as an " al-Qaeda led coalition" which was working towards the ultimate goal of creating an "Islamic state." At its founding, Jaish al-Fatah contained six members, two of whom ( al-Nusra and Jund al-Aqsa ) were directly connected to al-Qaeda . With Ahrar al-Sham being

680-527: The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade confining the group to the towns of Jamla and Shajara. The fighting ended after mediation between al-Nusra and the Yarmouk Martyr's Brigades by the Islamic Muthanna Movement . The claims of allegiance and affiliation with ISIL made by al-Nusra regarding the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade were denied by the Southern Front . However after the clashes with the group's affiliation became more widely known to locals, with one resident of town under

720-424: The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade still cooperated with other rebel groups in the war against the government: In course of the 2013 Daraa offensive , the brigade aided the al-Nusra Front in attacking the 38th Division air defence base, and fought with other opposition groups during the capture of several towns south of Nawa . It also participated in a major, yet eventually unsuccessful offensive to capture Nawa itself from

760-452: The approach taken by the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade and ISIL in their enforcement of Sharia , with the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade being described as taking a more gradual approach, such as how in areas under the control of ISIL it was obligatory and enforced for women to wear Niqabs in areas under the control of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade it was not enforced for Niqabs to be worn but was encouraged and Niqabs were distributed. Alongside establishing

800-623: The backing of western and Arab powers as a means of financing and arming Syrian rebel forces. The Supreme Military Council of the FSA supported the Syrian National Council (SNC). It also recognized the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as the "civil authority" of the Syrian opposition . On 7 December 2012, 260 rebel commanders from all over Syria agreed to

840-572: The brigade, as well as Jaysh al-Jihad , launched attacks on al-Nusra. This fighting ended following arbitration from local groups. On 15 November 2015, its head Muhammad "Abu Ali" al-Baridi, nicknamed al-Khal (the Uncle), and five other leaders were killed in a bomb blast in Jamla, the village where the Brigade is headquartered. Al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility for the attack. Abu Obaideh Qahtan, said to have been

SECTION 20

#1732858862883

880-518: The effective leader of the brigade anyway, took over as head. Obaideh, a Palestinian-Syrian from the Yarmouk Camp , was not only a founding member of the brigade, but had also much military experience as veteran of the Soviet–Afghan War . Nevertheless, just four months after taking over, he was replaced as head by Abu Abdullah al-Madani, a previously unknown mujahid of Saudi origin. This development

920-471: The government in July 2013. It continued to work together with other rebel groups throughout early 2014, stating at the time that its aim was to "fight so that Syrian men and women may choose a free and democratic system that establishes a prosperous state respecting the aspirations of Syrians in the freedom and dignity for which they have fought." By July 2014, the brigade began to clash with other rebel groups such as

960-432: The group's control claiming members the group liked the ideology of ISIL and there was a shift in the opinion of its members, the resident also quoted the members as saying "We want their [ISIL] course if they are truthful." However there were no conformations of the group's affiliation or support for ISIL. In an interview a member of the group stated regarding the claims of affiliation with ISIL, "With regards to whether there

1000-520: The group, ostensibly to redeploy its forces to Aleppo, but also due to tensions with Jund al-Aqsa. In May 2016, the Army of Conquest announced it was restructuring, ending ties with Jund al-Aqsa while readmitting the Sham Legion. It was also joined by the Turkistan Islamic Party , a jihadist group composed of Uyghurs from Xinjiang . On 24 September 2016, Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement joined

1040-547: The group. Several days later, the Suqour al-Sham Brigade also joined the group. On 9 October, Jund al-Aqsa rejoined Al-Nusra Front, thus rejoining the Army of Conquest, though on 23 January 2017 they were kicked out of Al-Nusra and by extension the Army of Conquest. On 23 January 2017, the al-Nusra Front attacked Jabhat Ahl al-Sham bases in Atarib and other towns in western Aleppo. All of their bases were captured and by 24 January,

1080-457: The increasing role of key actors – including extremist and terrorist entities – in a number of international arenas. The Army of Conquest captured Idlib City on 28 March 2015. In the following months, they spearheaded an offensive that drove out government forces from almost all of Idlib Governorate. Following this success, additional branches of the Army of Conquest were established in other parts of Syria. The Army of Conquest coalition

1120-482: The kidnapping by claiming that "UN is silent about the crimes of the regime against the Syrian people" and that it provided "aid to the criminal regime forces". After much criticism, however, the brigade changed its position, saying that it had attempted to protect the UN peacekeepers from the "barbaric bombing that Assad’s criminal gangs are launching against the western villages of Deraa province and all of Syria." At this time,

1160-448: The largest group, al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham together were reported to represent 90 percent of the troops. Another prominent Islamist faction in the operations room was Sham Legion (Faylaq Al-Sham). The remaining three founding members were Jaish al-Sunna ; Liwa al-Haqq , and Ajnad al-Sham . Jaish al-Fatah collaborated with more moderate Free Syrian Army factions such as Knights of Justice Brigade . The coalition's initial success

1200-522: The largest militias in the SMC, joined with al-Qaeda 's al-Nusra Front and several Salafi jihadist and other Sunni Islamic fundamentalist groups to form the Islamic Coalition . The SMC-affiliated groups in the coalition stressed that they were not breaking with SMC, but only the political exile wing in the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces . This left official SMC commander Salim Idriss formally in control of just

1240-647: The opposition. The SMC leadership requested the Islamic Front , formed by most member groups of the Islamic Coalition two weeks earlier, for help, which the IF rejected as it refused to fight al-Nusra. The IF offered to raise its flag over the warehouses to protect it from attack, before proceeding to storm the warehouses and capture them from SMC units, the SMC-affiliated Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades , and ISIL. Following

Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-578: The preferred conduits for donations". In early May 2015, the Army of Conquest formed a new branch in Western Qalamoun , called Army of Conquest – al-Qalamoun . On 1 October 2015, after defeats by pro-Assad forces, Army of Conquest in Qalamoun was replaced by an independent faction called Saraya Ahl al-Sham , which aims to unite all rebel factions in Western Qalamoun. However, the al-Nusra Front

1320-722: The same day, a pro-opposition source claimed that about fifty Syrian government soldiers defected to the new group. As columnist David Ignatius reported, Qatar , Turkey , and Saudi Arabia were the primary sponsors of the new coalition that was led by al-Nusra. Since the very beginning, the three states allegedly provided conspicuous material support to the group, mostly consisting of weapons and military equipment. In 2016, shortly after al-Nusra changed its name in Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, Financial Times reporter Erica Solomon quoted rebels and activists claiming that Qatar and Saudi Arabia were consistently ferrying in cash and supplies to support

1360-523: The takeover, the US and UK announced that they would temporarily suspend their supplies of non-lethal equipment for the SMC through the crossing. On 16 February 2014, the Supreme Military Council announced that Idris was replaced with Colonel Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir , head of the FSA's Quneitra Military Council . 4 months later on 26 June 2014, Abdullah al-Bashir was sacked by the SNC, and SNC's chief, Ahmad Tohme, said in

1400-407: Was a secret connection with respect to the leadership, this I don't know about." The member also added that the group was an Islamist group since its foundation. The group also went on to establish an Islamic court with its own police force called the "Diwan of Hisbah " to enforce Islamic law modeled and named after ISIL's own Hisbah in territories they controlled. However there were differences in

1440-418: Was attributed to its strong coherence, with the name of individual factions being forbidden when the group conducts joint operations. Since the inter-rebel conflicts across Idlib , which led to Ahrar al-Sham clashing with Jabhat Fateh al-Sham , and the defections and mergers which started on 21 January 2017, the Army of Conquest has become defunct. Jaish al-Fatah declared its formation on 24 March 2015. On

1480-471: Was both attributed to Obaideh's lacking administration skills and the strengthening links of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade with ISIL, as al-Madani was said to have been sent by the ISIL leadership to lead the brigade. Despite his replacement, Abu Obaideh Qahtan remained a major field commander of the brigade. On 21 March 2016, the brigade and its ally, the Islamic Muthanna Movement , launched a major offensive against other rebel groups, aiming to take control of

1520-525: Was created with the backing of western powers and many Arab states as a vehicle to finance and arm rebel groups. On 11 July 2013, a commander of the SMC's Western Front, Kamal al-Hamami, met with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Latakia Governorate , which resulted in him being killed by ISIL. ISIL then threatened to kill all SMC members. In September 2013, the al-Tawhid Brigade , Islam Brigade , and Suqour al-Sham Brigade ,

1560-587: Was not included in Saraya Ahl al-Sham, although the two groups continued to cooperate. The following month, the al-Nusra Front issued a statement calling on the opposition in the Eastern Ghouta area of Damascus to form a similar coalition, but this call was rejected by the Unified Military Command of Eastern Ghouta , a grouping which includes the most prominent factions in the area. In October 2015 Army of Conquest members al-Nusra Front and Ahrar ash-Sham (also

1600-506: Was partially modelled upon the success of the Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army , and in turn newer coalitions, like the Battle of Victory , were modelled on the Army of Conquest. Saudi cleric Abdullah al-Muhaysini played a key role in the early history of the Army of Conquest. In fact, Muhayisini coordinated and supervised the establishment of the group, for which he also served as

#882117