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Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa ( ar, لواء ثوار الرقة, Liwā' Thūwwār ar-Raqqah, lit=Raqqa Revolutionaries' Brigade, links=no) was a rebel group in the Syrian Civil War. It was formed in September 2012 in the
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 ...
. Aligned with
jihadist Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...
factions for its first years, at the end of 2015, it joined 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 ...
. During an interview by
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi ( ar, أيمن جواد التميمي, ʾAyman Ǧawād at-Tamīmī) (born 1992) is an Iraqi living in Britain who specialises in the Syrian Civil War, Iraqi Civil War and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ...
in 2015, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa's media director stated that the group wants a "
civil Civil may refer to: *Civic virtue, or civility *Civil action, or lawsuit * Civil affairs *Civil and political rights *Civil disobedience *Civil engineering *Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism *Civilian, someone not a membe ...
democratic state". He also claimed that the group had no relations with the Syrian National Coalition based in
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 ...
. Between the end of 2015 and mid-2017, the group was known as Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa ( ar, جبهة ثوار الرقة, Jabhat Thūwwār ar-Raqqah), or the Front of Raqqa Revolutionaries.


History


Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa

Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa's founder and commander is Ahmad al-Othman bin Alloush, a member of an Arab tribe in the Raqqa region, commonly known by his ''
nom de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
'' Abu Issa al-Raqqawi. With the start of the Syrian Civil War, Abu Issa participated in protests against 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 ...
in
Raqqa Raqqa ( ar, ٱلرَّقَّة, ar-Raqqah, also and ) (Kurdish languages, Kurdish: Reqa/ ڕەقە) is a city in Syria on the northeast bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. T ...
city, and was arrested twice. In 2012, he established an armed group in the Raqqa area. On 19 September, rebel groups captured the border town of
Tell Abyad Tell Abyad; ku, گرێ سپی, Girê Spî; hy, Թել Աբյադ; syr, ܬܠ ܐܒܝܕ. is a town in northern Syria. It is the administrative center of the Tell Abyad District within the Raqqa Governorate. Located along the Balikh River, it const ...
. Abu Issa's group soon merged with 6 others in the area to form Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa, initially based in Tell Abyad and part of the Revolutionary Military Council in Raqqa Governorate. In December 2012, 3 rebel groups in and around Raqqa joined Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa. In the same month, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa joined a coalition called the Raqqa Liberation Front, along with other groups including the Ahfad al-Rasul Brigade. Alongside
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 ...
and
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 ...
, these groups captured Raqqa city after a 3-day battle in early March 2013. After the battle, these groups laid siege on the 17th Division, 93rd Brigade, and Tabqa Air Base around Raqqa. Since April 2013, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa cooperated with al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham, 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), and other rebel groups in the area. By July 2013, the group added the word "Islamic" to its name, and appeared in a joint statement with ISIL in front of the latter's
Black Standard The Black Banner or Black Standard ( ar, الراية السوداء, ar-rāyat as-sawdāʾ, also known as (, "banner of the eagle" or simply as , , "the banner") is one of the flags flown by the Islamic prophet Muhammad according to Muslim tr ...
. Despite publicly cooperating, however, tensions began to rise between Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa, ISIL, and Ahrar al-Sham. In September 2013, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa pledged allegiance to the al-Nusra Front, part of
al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
. and became part of it, although it was not fully integrated into al-Nusra. During the time Liwa al-Thuwar al-Raqqa was part of al-Nusra, it fought the
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 ...
-led
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 ...
(YPG) in
Tell Abyad Tell Abyad; ku, گرێ سپی, Girê Spî; hy, Թել Աբյադ; syr, ܬܠ ܐܒܝܕ. is a town in northern Syria. It is the administrative center of the Tell Abyad District within the Raqqa Governorate. Located along the Balikh River, it const ...
, and was accused by Kurdish officials of involvement in the abduction of
Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ir ...
and
looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...
in Raqqa city. In January 2014, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa led the fight against the ISIL in the city of Raqqa, and was expelled from al-Nusra Front. After ISIL expelled Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa and other rebel groups from Raqqa city, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa moved into the northern
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 ...
countryside and allied itself with the YPG and the
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 ...
. In July 2014 the faction and 10 other groups threatened to leave the
Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...
and Raqqa governorates if they were not aided by other rebels in their fight against ISIL. In September 2014, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa joined the YPG-FSA
Euphrates Volcano Euphrates Volcano ( ar-at, بركان الفرات, Burkān al-Furāt) was a joint operations room/coalition established during the Syrian Civil War. It mainly consisted of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and certain factions o ...
joint operations room. It received
anti-tank missile An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a Missile guidance, guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy Armoured fighting vehicle, heavily armored military v ...
s and other equipment from 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 ...
through the
Şanlıurfa Urfa, officially known as Şanlıurfa () and in ancient times as Edessa, is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. Urfa is situated on a plain about 80 km east of the Euphrates River. Its climate features ...
border crossing as part of the
Syrian Train and Equip Program The Syrian Train and Equip Program is a United States-led military operation launched in 2014 that identified and trained selected Syrian opposition forces inside Syria as well as in Turkey and other US-allied states who would then return to Syria ...
to fight ISIL. In mid-2015, it participated in the YPG-led
offensive Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
towards the Syrian border city of
Tell Abyad Tell Abyad; ku, گرێ سپی, Girê Spî; hy, Թել Աբյադ; syr, ܬܠ ܐܒܝܕ. is a town in northern Syria. It is the administrative center of the Tell Abyad District within the Raqqa Governorate. Located along the Balikh River, it const ...
. In June, fighters from Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa were near the Turkish border, whilst the group was also fighting ISIL in the southern city of
Ayn Issa Ayn Issa ( ar, عين عيسى, also spelled Ain Issa. Meaning ''Spring of Jesus'') is a town in the Tell Abyad District of Raqqa Governorate in Syria. It is located halfway between the Syria–Turkey border town of Tell Abyad and the regional cap ...
, on the Raqqa road. Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa was able to grow considerably in size because of the influx of both rebels from Turkey and locals who wanted to fight ISIL. The current size of the brigade is unknown, but numbers in the hundreds at least. In October 2015, the group stated it received military equipment from 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 ...
and YPG in order to fight ISIL north of Raqqa. The group also stated its intention to capture the city of Raqqa from ISIL. Analyst
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi ( ar, أيمن جواد التميمي, ʾAyman Ǧawād at-Tamīmī) (born 1992) is an Iraqi living in Britain who specialises in the Syrian Civil War, Iraqi Civil War and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ...
claimed that Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa wants Syria to become a unitary civil democratic state.


Reorganisation under the SDF banner

In November 2015, the group merged with Tribal Army of
Tell Abyad Tell Abyad; ku, گرێ سپی, Girê Spî; hy, Թել Աբյադ; syr, ܬܠ ܐܒܝܕ. is a town in northern Syria. It is the administrative center of the Tell Abyad District within the Raqqa Governorate. Located along the Balikh River, it const ...
to form Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa which became part of a greater
coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...
in northern Syria. However, some members of Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa did not join the SDF, despite the leadership joining. Tensions 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 ...
(YPG) and the Tribal Army grew after alleged YPG atrocities against the Arab populations of northern Syria. In response the YPG with their Arab allies blockaded the region held by Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa, after ISIL attacks increased from the region held by Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa, which became susceptible to an
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 ...
attack in late December 2015. On 6 January 2016, the group issued a statement claiming it was disbanding as a consequence of the blockade, although the cause of the disbanding has been disputed. After disbanding they continued to use the Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa name. In late 2015, the group reappeared, announcing it had decided to join 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 ...
. On 20 October 2016, Thuwar al-Raqqa established an all-female battalion named the "Free Women of Raqqa Battalion". Three of Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa's former subgroups, the Raqqa Hawks Brigade, Raqqa Martyrs Brigade, and the Free Men of Raqqa Brigade, participated in the Raqqa campaign. while Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa was planned to be involved in taking the city itself. During the Raqqa offensive, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa's political bureau condemned the offensive for being led by the YPG. This caused tensions between the group's political bureau, who opposes the YPG, and the overall leader and military commander of Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa, Abu Issa, who is allied with the YPG. In response, the SDF besieged and raided the group's headquarter. On 10 December 2016, the second phase of the Raqqa campaign was announced. Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa participated in the offensive under the SDF. Tensions rose again on 25 December and several military commanders in Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa reportedly announced their defection to the Raqqa Hawks Brigade. 2 days later, the Thuwar al-Raqqa commanders declared on video that they were captured by the Raqqa Hawks Brigade and forced to announce their defection, and that they are still with Thuwar al-Raqqa. On 19 May 2017, Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa held a meeting with other SDF member groups in negotiating the role that the former would play in the Raqqa campaign. After SDF commander Hussam Awak promised the unit that "its role n Raqqawill be essential, especially in the civil and humanitarian affairs", Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa sent a convoy of troops to participate in the offensive. In May 2018, tensions began to build up between members of Arab tribes, including Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa, and the rest of the SDF and the
Raqqa Internal Security Forces The Raqqa Internal Security Forces (RISF) ( ar, قوات الأمن الداخلي في الرقة, Quwwāt al-ʾAmn ad-Dāḵilī fi'r-Raqqah) are a police unit that was formed in 2017 by the Syrian Democratic Forces, supported by the United Stat ...
(RISF) over recruitment issues in Raqqa. A curfew was put in place in both Raqqa city and the rest of the governorate on 23 June, as the SDF and RISF besieged Thuwar al-Raqqa's headquarters and arrested between 90 and 200 of its members the next day. By 25 June, the SDF and RISF captured all of Thuwar al-Raqqa fighters and their weapons in Raqqa, completely defeating the group, and the curfew was ended. Following Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa's defeat by the SDF and RISF, Abu Issa met with tribal leaders and SDF officials to discuss surrender and reconciliation. He was reportedly offered a position in the SDF general command. Abu Issa would later go on to deny he was ever arrested by the SDF or the RISF.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine


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

{{Syrian Civil War Anti-government factions of the Syrian civil war Syrian Democratic Forces Free Syrian Army Anti-ISIL factions in Syria Military units and formations established in 2012