The Brigade of Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas ( Arabic:لواء أبو الفضل العباس, ''Liwa Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas''), also known as the al-Abbas Brigade ( Arabic:كتائب العباس, ''Kata'ib al-Abbas''), is a pro-government Twelver Shia Muslim militant group operating throughout

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 ...

. It is named after the nickname of Al-Abbas ibn Ali, son of Imam Ali. The group was formed in late 2012 to defend the

Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque ( ar, مَسْجِد ٱلسَّيِّدَة زَيْنَب, Masjid as-Sayyidah Zaynab) is a mosque located in the city of Sayyidah Zaynab, in the southern suburbs of Damascus, Syria. According to Twelver Shia Muslim tradition ...

and other Shia holy sites in Syria. It rose in prominence in reaction to the desecration of various shrines, heritage sites, and places of worship by

Syrian rebels A number of states and armed groups have involved themselves in the ongoing Syrian Civil War as belligerents. Syrian Arab Republic and allies A number of sources have emphasized that as of at least late-2015/early-2016 the Syrian Arab Republic ...

during the Syrian civil war, and subsequently collaborated with the

Syrian Army " (''Guardians of the Homeland'') , colors = * Service uniform: Khaki, Olive * Combat uniform: Green, Black, Khaki , anniversaries = August 1st , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = 1948 Arab–Israeli War Six ...

. Its fighters include Shia Damascenes, Damascus-based Shia

Iraqi refugees Refugees of Iraq are Iraqi nationals who have fled Iraq due to war or persecution. Throughout the past 30 years, there have been a growing number of refugees fleeing Iraq and settling throughout the world, peaking recently with the latest Iraq ...

, and foreign Shia volunteers, mostly from Iraq. It fights primarily around Damascus, but has fought in

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

as well. In May and June 2013, Reuters reported a split had developed within the brigade over finances and leadership which led to violence. Many non-Syrian members subsequently formed a different brigade. On 19 May 2014, fighters from the Nour al-Din al-Zanki Brigade claimed to have taken over the al-Abbas Brigade's regional headquarters in Aleppo. As the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant made significant gains in Iraq in mid-2014, many its Iraqi members returned home to defend the faltering government in Baghdad. The al-Abbas Bridge took part in the

2018 Southern Syria offensive The 2018 Southern Syria offensive, code-named Operation Basalt ( ar, عملية البازلت), was a military operation launched by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies against the rebels and ISIL in Southern Syria. The fighting began with ...

in support of government troops.

References

Anti-ISIL factions in Syria Pro-government factions of the Syrian civil war Resistance movements Shia Islamist groups Shia organizations Syrian Shia organizations Military units and formations established in 2012 Organizations designated as terrorist by the United Arab Emirates Organizations based in Asia designated as terrorist Jihadist groups in Syria Jihadist groups in Iraq Arab militant groups Axis of Resistance {{Syria-mil-stub

See also

References