, native_name_lang=Ar
, war =
Syrian civil war
, image = Ali Belo, Liwa Ahrar Souriya.png
, caption = Ali Belo, commander of Liwa Ahrar Souriya until September 2013
, active =February 2012 — present
, ideology =
Syrian nationalism
Syrian nationalism, also known as Pan-Syrian nationalism (or pan-Syrianism), refers to the nationalism of the region of Syria, as a cultural or political entity known as "Greater Syria".
It should not be confused with the Arab nationalism that is ...
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 =*Ahmad Afash]
*Mahmoud Afash[
*Ali Belo
*Capt. Mamon Kalzi
*]Abu Layla
Faisal Abdi Bilal Saadoun (1984 – 5 June 2016), widely known as Abu Leyla or Abu Layla ( ar, أبو ليلى), was a Kurdish commander in both the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). He is regarded by many as a hero of the ...
()
*Muhammad Abu Adel ()
, headquarters = Anadan and Azaz
Azaz ( ar, أَعْزَاز, ʾAʿzāz) is a city in northwest Syria, roughly north-northwest of Aleppo. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Azaz had a population of 31,623 in the 2004 census. , 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 ...
, 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 ...
and Raqqa Governorate
Raqqa Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة الرقة, Muḥāfaẓat ar-Raqqah) is one of the fourteen governorates of Syria. It is situated in the north of the country and covers an area of 19,618 km2. The capital is Raqqa. The Islamic State of ...
, 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 = *2,000–2,500 (self-claim, 2013)[
*500 ()][
, 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 ...
[
* 16th Division (2013)
*]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 ...
(2014–2015)
* Mare' Operations Room
The Mare' Operations Room ( ar, غرفة عمليات مارع, tr, Mare Operasyon Odası) was a joint operations room of armed Syrian rebel factions based around the town of Mare' in the Azaz District of Aleppo Governorate to fight against th ...
(2014–2016)
* Hamza Division (2016)
* Northern Brigade (unclear)
** Revolutionary Knights Brigade (unclear)
, predecessor = Free Anadan Brigade
, successor =
, allies =* Islamic Front
* Fastaqim Kama Umirt
* 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 ...
* Sultan Murad Division
The Sultan Murad Division ( ar, فرقة السلطان مراد; ''Firqat al-Sultan Murad'', tr, Sultan Murat Tümeni) is an armed rebel group in the Syrian Civil War, created around a Syrian Turkmen identity. It is aligned with the Syrian opp ...
, 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 ...
* 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 ...
, battles = Syrian civil war
* Rojava–Islamist conflict[
* ]Siege of Nubl and al-Zahraa
The siege of Nubl and al-Zahraa during the Syrian civil war was laid by rebels to capture two Syrian government-held towns north of Aleppo, after they had seized most of the northern countryside in July 2012. The siege was lifted on 3 February ...
* Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016)
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Battle of Aleppo{{lang, ar, مَعْرَكَةُ حَلَبَ
, partof = the Syrian Civil War
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top-left: A destroyed tank ...
*
, clans = *Anadan Brigade
*Arab Spring
The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...
Brigades
*Kurdish Front
The Kurdish Front ( ar, جبهة الأكراد, transliterated: Jabhat al-Akrad; ku, Eniya Kurdan, former full name: ''Liwa' Jabhat al-'Akrad l-Nusra Shaʿbnā al-Sūrī'', "Brigade of the Kurdish Front to Support Our Syrian People") is a pre ...
(former, 2013)
The Free Men of Syria Brigade or the Free Syrian Brigade ( ar-at, لواء أحرار سورية; Liwa Ahrar Souriya) is a group of Syrian rebel fighters affiliated with the 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 ...
active during the Syrian civil war, mainly around Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
, motto =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_caption =
, image_map1 =
...
.
Funding
The group received funding from sources in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
. By 2013, it required 2 million Turkish lira
The lira ( tr, Türk lirası; sign: ₺; ISO 4217 code: TRY; abbreviation: TL) is the official currency of Turkey and Northern Cyprus. One lira is divided into one hundred ''kuruş''.
History
Ottoman lira (1844–1923)
The lira, along with t ...
s (equivalent of $568,456.42) daily to operate. The group also stole money and looted from warehouses in the al-Layramoun district of Aleppo and Kafr Hamrah
Kafr Hamrah ( ar, كفر حمرة, also spelled Kfar Hamra) is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Aleppo Governorate, in the northwestern suburbs of Aleppo. Nearby localities include ''nahiya'' ("subdistrict") center Huraytan ...
. It also conducted kidnapping for large amounts of ransom.[
]
History
The group was originally formed as the Free Anadan Brigade by Ahmad Afash, a rebel from the Khalidiya district of Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
, motto =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_caption =
, image_map1 =
...
. It fielded 500 fighters by mid-2012 and took part in the Battle of Anadan
The Battle of Anadan ( ar, معركة عندان) was a ten-hour-long armed confrontation between the rebels of the Free Syrian Army and soldiers of the Syrian Army that occurred when FSA forces attempted to overrun a large army checkpoint in t ...
in July 2012. After the battle, the group captured several tanks from 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 ...
and gained influence as well as additional fighters, and changed its name to the Free Syrian Brigade, or Liwa Ahrar Souriya.[
In late October 2012, amid infighting between the ]People's Protection Units
The People's Defense Units (YPG), (YPG) ; ar, وحدات حماية الشعب, Waḥdāt Ḥimāyat aš-Šaʽb) also called People's Protection Units, is a mainly-Kurdish militia in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democra ...
and other rebel groups in Aleppo, the Free Syrian Brigade abducted 120 Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
civilians in the area. After negotiations between the Democratic Union Party and FSA groups, they were released.
In December 2012 the group signed a declaration that rejected the authority of the and proposed to establish an Islamic state
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 ...
, although its leader later withdrew from the declaration and recognized the National Coalition.[
In September 2013, the Free Syrian Brigade became a founding member group of the 16th Division. Another group in the 16th Division was the Badr Martyrs Brigade, led by Khaled Hayani. Tensions brewed between Hayani and Ahmad Afash after the Badr Martyrs Brigade clashed with 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 ...
in October 2013. The Free Syrian Brigade left the 16th Division in November 2013 and redeployed its fighters away from the frontlines with ISIL and toward the frontlines against the Syrian Army. The group was known to be corrupt. Among other things he did to receive money, Ahmad Afash confiscated alcohol to sell them to merchants outside Aleppo. During this time, he also acquired a Mercedes-Benz S-Class
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class, formerly known as ''Sonderklasse'' (German for "special class", abbreviated as "S-Klasse"), is a series of full-sized luxury vehicle, luxury sedans, limousines and Armored car (VIP), armored sedans produced by the Germa ...
.[
At the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014, infighting between ISIL and other rebel groups escalated in northern Syria. During the infighting, Ahmad Afash fled to ]Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and rented a hotel in Mersin
Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Mersin Province, Mersin (İçel) Province. It is made up of four municipalities and dis ...
. During his stay in Turkey, Afash became a drug addict and was once hospitalized. Meanwhile, in Syria, the Free Syrian Brigade held out in Aleppo and its surrounding areas.[
On 19 May 2014, the Free Syrian Brigade and 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 ...
detonated a tunnel bomb in the Ancient City of Aleppo
The Ancient City of Aleppo ( ar, مدينة حلب القديمة, Madīnat Ḥalab al-Qadīma) is the historic city centre of Aleppo, Syria. Before the Syrian Civil War, many districts of the ancient city remained essentially unchanged since ...
which destroyed a historic palace, which at the time was used by 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 ...
as a military headquarter.
In October 2015, during the Russian military intervention in Syria
{{Infobox military conflict
, partof = the foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war, and the military intervention against ISIL
, image =
, image_size =
, border =
, caption = To ...
, the Free Syrian Brigade headquarters in the northern 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 ...
was hit by a Russian airstrike which killed 7 of its fighters.
Since November 2015, the group has participated in the shelling of Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
, motto =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_caption =
, image_map1 =
...
's Sheikh Maqsood
Sheikh Maqsood ( ar, ٱلشَّيْخ مَقْصُود, aš-Šayḵ Maqṣūd, ku, Şêxmeqsûd, شێخ مەقسوود, ), sometimes spelled al-Sheikh Maqsoud, Maqsud or Maksud, is a Kurdish-majority neighborhood in the city of Aleppo, Syria. It ...
neighborhood, controlled by the People's Protection Units
The People's Defense Units (YPG), (YPG) ; ar, وحدات حماية الشعب, Waḥdāt Ḥimāyat aš-Šaʽb) also called People's Protection Units, is a mainly-Kurdish militia in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democra ...
as part of the Syrian Democratic Forces
, war = the Syrian Civil War
, image = Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svgborder
, caption = Flag
, active = 10 October 2015 – present
, ideology = DemocracyDecentralizationSecularism ...
.
In September 2016, the Free Syrian Brigade joined the Hamza Division.[ 2 months later, on 15 November 2016, it left the Hamza Division and joined the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement's north Aleppo branch, whom they in turned joined the Sham Legion's north Aleppo branch.] They in turn dissolved to form the Revolutionary Knights Brigade, which is a part of the Northern Brigade that left the Sham Legion on 30 May 2017, though their current membership is unclear, and it is also unclear if they are still active.
See also
* List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War
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 ...
References
Bibliography
*
{{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 2012