Failaq Al-Rahman
The al-Rahman Legion ( ar, فيلق الرحمن, ''Faylaq al-Raḥmān'') is a Syrian rebel group that operated in Eastern Ghouta, in the outskirts of Damascus, and in the eastern Qalamoun Mountains. It was the main rebel group in Jobar, and was backed by Qatar. The group's leader is Abdul al-Nasr Shamir, a captain from rural Homs who defected from the Syrian Army in early 2012. The Legion has been described as an " Islamist" or as a non- jihadi/non-Salafi "political Islamist"Jennifer Cafarella and Genevieve Casagrande, Syrian Armed Opposition Powerbrokers', Middle East Security Report 29, March 2016, Institute for the Study of War organisation. It describes itself as "a revolutionary military entity aiming for the downfall of the Syrian regime," but does not seek to turn Syria into an Islamic state. In 2016, it was described as "one of the oldest standing opposition factions in Damascus and maintains high levels of local legitimacy and support." Under a surrender agreement, o ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Al-Nusra Front
Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra ( ar, جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام, Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahl ish-Sham lit. ''Front of the Supporters of the People of Syria/the Levant''), known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ( ar, جبهة فتح الشام lit. ''Front for the Conquest of Syria/the Levant'') after July 2016, and also described as al-Qaeda in Syria or al-Qaeda in the Levant, was a Salafist jihadist terrorist organization fighting against Syrian government forces in the Syrian Civil War. Its aim was to establish an Islamic state in the country. The group has changed its name several times and merged with and separated from other groups. Formed in 2012, in November of that year ''The Washington Post'' described al-Nusra as "the most aggressive and successful" of the rebel forces. In December 2012, the United States Department of State designated it a foreign terrorist organization, and in April 2013, it became the official Syrian branch of al-Qaeda. In March 2015, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Qaboun Offensive (February–March 2017)
The Qaboun offensive (2017) was a military operation of the Syrian Arab Army in the suburbs of Damascus against rebel forces during the Syrian Civil War. Its intended goal was to capture the Damascus suburbs of Qaboun and Barzeh from rebelsHiba DlewatiYears-Long Truces End As Government Tightens Control on Damascus" ''Syria Deeply'', 18 May 2017 led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Background In 2014, the rebel-held neighborhoods of Qaboun, Barzeh and Tishreen reached official or semi-official truces with government forces, including some government provision of some amenities (electricity and water) and rebel forces granting access to a strategic road through Barzeh and to the Tishreen Military Hospital. After the government's victory in Eastern Aleppo in late 2016, however, its forces turned their attention to the Damascus suburbs, for instance targeting Wadi Barada, and in particular seeking to move into the eastern Ghouta. It was in this context that government force ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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East Ghouta Inter-rebel Conflict (April–May 2016)
The East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict (April–May 2016) was an armed conflict between the rebel coalition of Jaish al-Fustat, consisting of the al-Nusra Front and al-Rahman Legion, and the rebel group Jaysh al-Islam, that occurred in the rebel-held territories east of Damascus. Tensions between the two groups took place since March 2016, when the Rahman Legion expelled Jaysh al-Islam in Zamalka after absorbing the Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union in February. Prelude – Clashes in Jisreen On 18 April 2016, the al-Rahman Legion launched an attack on Jaysh al-Islam headquarters in the town of Jisreen, capturing the headquarters. Open conflict Fighting starts On 28 April, the Rahman Legion and Jaish al-Fustat attacked Jaysh al-Islam positions in six towns in eastern Ghouta, including Qaboun and Zamalka, resulting in the former's air defence brigade defecting to Jaysh al-Islam. Ahrar ash-Sham denied involvement in the conflict and remained neutral. Due to the fighting, the resident ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rif Dimashq Offensive (September 2015)
The Rif Dimashq offensive (September 2015), or the battle of "Allah al-Ghalib", was a battle launched by the rebels around Tall Kurdi, Adra and Harasta in Eastern Ghouta. The offensive On 11 September, the Jaysh al-Islam grouping launched the offensive towards the Adra Prison Adra Prison ( ar, سجن عدرا) is a prison in Syria, on the northeast outskirts of Damascus. Political prisoners are held in the prison, along with a mixture of civil prisoners such as traffic offenders, murderers, and drug dealers. In 2014, t ... and captured Tell Kurdi and two buildings in the Adra woman prison. 15 soldiers and at least nine rebels (including a leader and a spokesman) were killed during the fighting for Tell Kurdi. By the next day, rebels had captured "significant amount of territory" near the Adra prison and Harasta National Hospital. They also pushed into the town of Dhahiyat Al-Assad, but were reportedly pushed back by the National Defence Forces (NDF). Around 200 men of the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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NOW News
''NOW News'' (sometimes abbreviated NOW, formerly ''NOW Lebanon'') is a Beirut-based Lebanese news website focused on the Middle East founded in late 2012 and published in both English and Arabic by M Publishing SAL. The site offers reports, news, features, and analysis on Lebanon, the Lebanese diaspora and the Middle East. The website offers minute-by-minute news updates as well as a special section and live blog on the civil war in Syria. History On 14 March 2005 an estimated 1 million Lebanese took to the streets concentrated in Martyrs' Square, Beirut primarily to protest Syrian military occupation of Lebanon and Syrian intelligence and political domination of Lebanon since 1976. The mass mobilization was triggered by widespread unrest following accusations of Syrian involvement in the 14 February 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. The New Opinion Workshop (NOW) was created to provide news reports and opinion pieces as well as a digest of re ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Institute For The Study Of War
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is a United States–based think tank founded in 2007 by Kimberly Kagan, providing research and analysis regarding issues of defense and foreign affairs. It has produced reports on the Syrian War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War, "focusing on military operations, enemy threats, and political trends in diverse conflict zones". It currently publishes daily reports on the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. ISW was founded in response to the stagnation of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, with core funding provided by a group of defense contractors. According to a mission statement on its website, ISW aims to provide "real-time, government-independent, and open-source analysis of ongoing military operations and insurgent attacks". ISW currently operates as a nonprofit organization, supported in part by contributions from defense contractors [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Syrian Armed Forces
The Syrian Arab Armed Forces ( ar, الْقُوَّاتُ الْمُسَلَّحَةُ الْعَرَبِيَّةُ السُّورِيَّةُ, al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥah al-ʿArabīyah as-Sūrīyah) are the military forces of the Syrian Arab Republic. They consist of the Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Defense Force, and paramilitary forces, such as the National Defence Force. According to the Syrian constitution, the President of Syria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The military is a conscripted force; males serve in the military upon reaching the age of 18, but they are exempted from service if they do not have a brother who can take care of their parents. Since the Syrian Civil War, the enlisted members of the Syrian military have dropped by over half from a pre-civil war figure of 325,000 to 150,000 soldiers in the army in December 2014, due to casualties, desertions and draft dodging, reaching between 178,000 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Flag Of The Syrian Arab Armed Forces
A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and flags have evolved into a general tool for rudimentary signalling and identification, especially in environments where communication is challenging (such as the maritime environment, where semaphore is used). Many flags fall into groups of similar designs called flag families. The study of flags is known as "vexillology" from the Latin , meaning "flag" or "banner". National flags are patriotic symbols with widely varied interpretations that often include strong military associations because of their original and ongoing use for that purpose. Flags are also used in messaging, advertising, or for decorative purposes. Some military units are called "flags" after their use of flags. A ''flag'' (Arabic: ) is equivalent to a brigad ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Enab Baladi
''Enab Baladi'' ( ar, عنب بلدي, lit=Country Grapes) is a Syrian nonprofit media organization that publishes a newspaper with the same name, in Arabic and English. It was established in Darayya, Syria in 2011, and is also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. History and profile ''Enab Baladi'' newspaper was first launched in 2011 by a group of citizen journalists and activists from Daraya, a Syrian town in Damascus suburbs. On January 29, 2012, issue #0 was published marking the beginning of a revolutionary newspaper. Since then, it has been printed each week on Sundays, with one two-week stoppage in August 2012 due to the Darayya massacre The Darayya massacre ( ar, مجزرة داريا) was a massacre carried out by Syrian government forces of Bashar al-Assad that occurred between 20 and 25 August 2012 in the town of Darayya in the Rif Dimashq Governorate, Rif Dimashq province ... committed by Assad forces. ''Enab Baladi''s mission is to serve a role in educating Syr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Aknaf Bait Al-Maqdis
Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis ( ar, أكناف بيت المقدس, ʾAknāf Bayt al-Maqdis, lit. "Region of the Holy House") was a Syrian Palestinian rebel group active during the Syrian Civil War. History Following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War, several Syrian members of Hamas joined the rebellion against the Syrian government, and formed Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis. The militia was only loosely affiliated to the Syrian opposition, however, and its true allegiance remained with Hamas. Hamas, however, officially denied any links with Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis. The group was primarily active in the Yarmouk Camp of Damascus, which it defended alongside other insurgents from government attacks from 2013. It also had branches in Quneitra and the Daraa Governorate. The Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis' Daraa group took part in a rebel offensive in September 2013 which aimed at capturing the Daraa border crossing. Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis battled the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, backed by al-Nusra Fron ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |