Jaysh al-Mujahideen , native_name_lang= Ar , war = the Syrian Civil War , image = Flag of the Army of Mujahedeen (Syria).svg , caption = Logo of the Army of Mujahideen , active = 2 January 2014 – 25 January 2017 , ideology =

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

Islamism Islamism (also often called political Islam or Islamic fundamentalism) is a political ideology which posits that modern states and regions should be reconstituted in constitutional, economic and judicial terms, in accordance with what is ...

, leaders = *Lt. Col. Muhammad Juma Abdul Qader Bakur ("Abu Bakr") *Capt. Muhammad Shakerdi *Salim Abu Jaafar *Hammoud al-Barm , clans = , headquarters = , area =

Aleppo Governorate Aleppo Governorate ( ar, محافظة حلب / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥalab'' / ) is one of the fourteen governorates of Syria. It is the most populous governorate in Syria with a population of more than 4,867,000 (2011 Est.), almost 23% of the ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, size = 5,000+–12,000 ()
4,000 ()
8,000 () , partof = *

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA) ( ar, الجيش السوري الحر, al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a loose faction in the Syrian Civil War founded on 29 July 2011 by officers of the Syrian Armed Forces with the goal of bringing down the governm ...

(2016–17) *

Syrian Revolutionary Command Council The Syrian Revolutionary Command Council ( ar-at, مجلس قيادة الثورة السورية, Majlis Qiyādat ath-Thawra as-Sūriyya) was an alliance of 72 Syrian rebels factions involved in the Syrian Civil War that was formed on 3 August ...

(2014–15) *

Levant Front The Levant Front ( ar, الجبهة الشامية, 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 for ...

(2014–15) *

Fatah Halab Fatah Halab ( ar, فتح حلب, Fataḥ Ḥalab, lit=Conquest of Aleppo), or Aleppo Conquest, was a joint operations room of Syrian rebel factions operating in and around Aleppo, Syria. Succeeding the Aleppo Liberation operations room, its es ...

(2015-2017) *

Ahrar al-Sham Harakat Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya ( ar-at, حركة أحرار الشام الإسلامية, Ḥarakat Aḥrāru š-Šām al-Islāmiyah, lit=Islamic Movement of the Freemen of the Levant), commonly referred to as Ahrar al-Sham, is a coalition ...

(since 2017) , allies = * Syria Revolutionaries Front *

Sham Legion The Sham Legion ( ar, فَيْلَق الشَّام, ''Faylaq al-Shām'') is an alliance of Sunni Islamist rebel groups formed in March 2014, during the Syrian Civil War. The alliance was formed from 19 different groups, some of which were previ ...

Suqour al-Sham Brigade The Suqour al-Sham Brigades ( ar, أَلْوِيَةُ صُقُورِ الشَّامِ, ʾAlwiyat Ṣuqūr aš-Šām, en, Hawks of the Levant Brigades), also known as the Sham Falcons Brigades, is an armed rebel organisation formed by Ahmed Abu ...

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 ال ...

(until 2017) , opponents = *

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 Re ...

* *

Syrian Democratic Forces , war = the Syrian Civil War , image = Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svgborder , caption = Flag , active = 10 October 2015 – present , ideology = DemocracyDecentralizationSecularism ...

(2017) *

Syrian Revolutionaries Front The Syrian Revolutionaries Front ( ar, جبهة ثوار سوريا, ''Jabhat Thowar Suriya'', SRF, also translated Syrian Rebel Front) is an alliance of 14 relatively moderate religious and some secular armed groups fighting under the banner of ...

, battles = Syrian Civil War * Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War *

Battle of Aleppo (2012–16) A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

Aleppo offensive (October 2015) Aleppo offensive may refer to: *Operation Northern Storm, a government offensive in early June 2013 *West Aleppo Offensive, a rebel offensive in late June 2013 *Aleppo offensive (October–December 2013), a government offensive in 2013 *Aleppo offe ...

2016 Aleppo summer campaign {{infobox military conflict , conflict = 2016 Aleppo summer campaign , width = 400px , partof = the Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016), Battle of Aleppo and the Syrian Civil War , image = Aleppo Summer Campaign 2016.png , image ...

Aleppo offensive (October–November 2016) The Aleppo offensive of October–November 2016, named the "Battle of the Hero Martyr Abu Omar Saraqib" by the Army of Conquest, refers to a military operation launched on the western outskirts of Aleppo at the end of October 2016 by rebel force ...

Al-Nusra Front–SRF/Hazzm Movement conflict The al-Nusra Front–SRF/Hazzm Movement conflict started in late October 2014, during the Syrian Civil War, in Idlib and Aleppo governorates, during which al-Nusra attempted to establish an Islamic state rival to that of ISIL. Despite this, th ...

, status= The Army of Mujahideen ( ar, جيش المجاهدين, Jaysh al-Mujahideen) was a

Islamist rebel group formed in order to fight the

Syrian government Government of the Syrian Arab Republic is the union government created by the constitution of Syria where by the president is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Syr ...

and the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...

(ISIL) during the Syrian Civil War. Originally a coalition of several Islamist rebel groups, it accused ISIL of disrupting "security and stability" in areas that had been captured from the Syrian government. During its establishment in January 2014, the spokesperson of the coalition said it would start operations in

Idlib ar, إدلبي, Idlibi , coordinates = , elevation_m = 500 , area_code = 23 , geocode = C3871 , blank_name = Climate , blank_info ...

and

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

and gradually expand towards the rest of Syria. In December 2016, the Army of Mujahideen was briefly reorganized as Jabhat Ahl al-Sham ( ar, جبهة أهل الشام; Front of the People of the Levant), but this formation soon fell apart during rebel infighting in January 2017.

Ideology

The Army of Mujahideen did not have a political program. Although the member groups have an Islamist identity, they were largely non-ideological

affiliated groups formed earlier in the Syrian Civil War.

History

The factions which formed the Army of Mujahideen largely emerged from the villages and towns of the Aleppo hinterland. The three groups at the core of the alliance were Division 19, the

Fastaqim Union The Fastaqim Kama Umirt Union ( ar-at, تجمعُ فاستقم كما أمرتَ, Tajammuʿ Fastaqim Kamā Umirt, lit=Union of Be Upright as Ordered) is a rebel group active during the Syrian Civil War. History Operations of the main faction ...

and the Nour al-Din al-Zanki Islamic Brigades, which was also then part of the

Authenticity and Development Front The Authenticity and Development Front ( ar, جبهة الأصالة والتنمية; ''Jabhat al-'asalah wa'l-tanmiyah'') is an alliance of rebel groups that is active during the Syrian Civil War. The alliance is considered to be moderate by C ...

. In March 2014, members of one of its component groups, the

, stopped Marcell Shehwaro, a Syrian Christian opposition activist, and demanded her to wear a

hijab In modern usage, hijab ( ar, حجاب, translit=ḥijāb, ) generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While ...

. She

refused Refused (also known as the Refused) is a Swedish hardcore punk band originating from Umeå and formed in 1991. Refused is composed of vocalist Dennis Lyxzén, guitarist Kristofer Steen, drummer David Sandström, and bassist Magnus Flagge. Guit ...

and was arrested, taken to a

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

court, and forced to sign an agreement pledging to wear the hijab. An Army of Mujahideen commander issued a statement apologizing for its fighters' violent actions, but the ruling requiring Shehwaro to wear a hijab still stood. On 4 May 2014, the Army of Mujahideen announced the withdrawal of the Nour al-Din al-Zanki Islamic Brigades from the coalition. On 3 June 2014, the Army of Mujahideen announced the expulsion of Division 19's

Ansar Brigade The 19th Division ( ar, الفرقة 19) was a Syrian rebel group which fought in the Syrian Civil War. The group was created in June 2013 in the western countryside of the Aleppo Governorate as a part of a foreign-funded project to unify local F ...

and its leader, Abu Bakr, accusing them of theft and kidnapping. Charles Lister, of the

Brookings Doha Center The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in ec ...

, described the Army of Mujahideen as being a shadow of its former self by August 2014, partially due to a reduction in support it had received from foreign states. Fastaqim Kama Umirt left the group around December 2014. In September 2014, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

began planning weapon supplies to the group, and in the same month, fifty of the group's fighters were given military training in

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

and supplied with

BGM-71 TOW The BGM-71 TOW ("Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided") is an American anti-tank missile. TOW replaced much smaller missiles like the SS.10 and ENTAC, offering roughly twice the effective range, a more powerful warhead, and a greatly ...

anti-tank missiles in a covert

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

program. On 6 May 2015, it, along with 13 other Aleppo-based groups, joined the

joint operations room. It announced its support to Turkey against the

Kurdistan Workers Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of south ...

. It also fights the

in Aleppo. Several factions of the group, including the al-Noor Islamic Movement, the Amjad al-Islam Brigade, and the al-Quds Brigades left to join the Revolutionaries of the Levant Battalions in April 2015. In December 2016, the Army of Mujahideen re-merged with Thuwar al-Sham Battalion and the Banner of Islam Movement to form Jabhat Ahl al-Sham. On 23 January 2017, the

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 ال ...

attacked Jabhat Ahl al-Sham bases in

Atarib Atarib ( ar, أتارب, ʾAtārib), also known as Atharib or Athareb, is a town in western Aleppo countryside, Aleppo Governorate, Syria. Located west of the city of Aleppo and southeast of Reyhanlı in Turkish-administered Hatay Province, it i ...

and other towns in western Aleppo. All the bases were captured and by 24 January, the group was defeated and joined

Member groups

* Army of Mujahideen ** 19th Division *** Ansar Brigade *** Supporters of the Caliphate Brigade(denied by group) *** Khan al-Asal Free Brigades *** Ash-Shuyukh Brigade *** Muhajireen Brigade **Battalion of the Martyr Muhammad Sha'ban **Farouq Battalion **5th Battalion **Revolutionaries of Atarib Gathering **Atarib Martyrs Brigade **Battalion of the Martyr Alaa al-Ahmad **Central Force for the City of Atarib **Ansar al-Haqq Battalion **Loyalty to God Battalion **Shells of Justice Brigade

Former member groups

* Nour al-Din al-Zenki Islamic Battalions **Levant Revolutionaries Battalions *** al-Quds Brigades *** Glory of Islam Brigade *** al-Noor Islamic Movement **Banners of Islam Movement *

Azadî Battalion , native_name_lang = , war = the Syrian Civil War , image = Flag of Kurdistan.svg , caption = Flag of Kurdistan, as used by the Azadî Battalion , active = early 2012 – present , ideology ...

* Liwa Jund al-Haramain (Formerly part of the 19th Division, later joined the

References

{{Syrian Civil War Anti-government factions of the Syrian civil war Free Syrian Army Anti-ISIL factions in Syria Military units and formations established in 2014 Military units and formations disestablished in 2017

Ideology

History

Member groups

Former member groups

See also

References