tr, Muntasır Billah Tugayı , war = the Syrian Civil War , image = Muntasir Billah Brigade logo.png , image_size = 200px , caption = Logo of the militia , active = Unknown – 2013
2013 – ''present'' , ideology = Main:

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 ...

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 ...

Elements:

Neo-Ottomanism Neo-Ottomanism ( Turkish: ''Yeni Osmanlıcılık, Neo-Osmanlıcılık'') is an Islamist, irredentist and imperialist Turkish political ideology that, in its broadest sense, advocates to honor the Ottoman past of Turkey and promotes greater polit ...

Turanism Turanism, also known as pan-Turanianism, pan-Turanism, or simply Turan, is a pseudoscientific Pan-nationalism, pan-nationalist cultural and political movement proclaiming the need for close cooperation or political unification between people who ...

, position = , leaders = Firas Paşa , clans = , headquarters = , area = , size = 350 , 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 ...

Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades The Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades ( ar, ألوية أحفاد الرسول ''Al-wīat Aḥfād ar-Rasūl'', "Grandsons of the Prophet Brigades") was a Syrian rebel group fighting against the Syrian government in the Syrian Civil War. It was funded by ...

Syrian National Army The Syrian National Army (SNA) ( ar, الجيش الوطني السوري, al-Jayš al-Waṭanī as-Sūrī), previously the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and also known as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA), is a coalition of armed Syrian oppo ...

Syrian Turkmen Brigades Syrian Turkmen Brigades ( tr, Suriye Türkmen Tugayları; ), also called the United Turkmen Army ( tr, Birleşik Türkmen Ordusu; ), are an informal armed opposition structure composed of Syrian Turkmen and Turks that form the military wing of ...

Army of Aleppo The Jaysh Halab ( ar, جيش حلب, lit=Army of Aleppo) was a coalition of Syrian rebel groups based in rebel-held areas inside the city of Aleppo, Syria. The coalition was created by Hashim al-Sheikh, the former general commander of Ahrar a ...

, predecessor = , successor = , allies =
, split = , opponents =

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

Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...

, battles = Syrian Civil War *

Raqqa campaign (2012–13) Raqqa campaign may refer to: * Raqqa campaign (2012–13), battles between various Syrian rebel groups and Syrian government * Raqqa campaign (2016–17) Raqqa campaign may refer to: * Raqqa campaign (2012–13), battles between various Syrian rebel ...

** Battle of Raqqa (March 2013) ---- *

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 ...

Northern Aleppo offensive (February 2016) The Northern Aleppo offensive (February 2016) refers to a military operation launched northwest of Aleppo in early February 2016 by the Syrian Arab Army and its allies. The offensive successfully broke the three-year Siege of Nubl and Al-Zahraa, ...

Northern Aleppo offensive (March–June 2016) The Northern Aleppo offensive (March–June 2016) was a series of military operations launched by Syrian opposition forces against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and vice versa in the northern Aleppo Governorate, near the Syria–Turkey ...

Operation Euphrates Shield Operation Euphrates Shield ( tr, Fırat Kalkanı Harekâtı) was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces in the Syrian Civil War which led to the Turkish occupation of northern Syria. Operations were carried out ...

Operation Olive Branch Operation Olive Branch ( tr, Zeytin Dalı Harekâtı) was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army (SNA) in the majority-Kurdish Afrin District of northwest Syria, against the People's Pro ...

, website = The Muntasir Billah Division ( ar, فرقة المنتصر بالله, translit=Firqah al-Muntasir bi-llah), also known by its original name Muntasir Billah Brigade ( ar, لواء المنتصر بالله, translit=Liwa al-Muntasir bi-llah, "God's Victory Brigade"), is a predominantly ethnic

Turkmen Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to: Peoples Historical ethnonym * Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages Ethnic groups * Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...

militia that has taken part in the Syrian Civil War. One of the most prominent pro-Turkish formations in the FSA, the group fought in the

and other campaigns in

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 ...

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 ...

ISIL An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

, and the SDF. The exact origin of the current Muntasir Billah Brigade is unclear, and it is possible that it originated as remnant of a rebel group that had been active in Raqqa Governorate until being subsumed by 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 ...

and ISIL in 2013.

Etymology

The militias in Raqqa and Aleppo were both originally called "Muntasir Billah Brigade". From 2018, some sources such as the

Anadolu Agency Anadolu Agency ( tr, Anadolu Ajansı, ; abbreviated AA) is a state-run news agency headquartered in Ankara, Turkey. History The Anadolu Agency was founded in 1920 during the Turkish War of Independence by the order of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. As ...

, '' Al-Araby'', ''

Vatan ''Vatan'' ("Homeland" or "Motherland") is a Turkish daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers ...

'', and others have begun calling the Aleppo group "Muntasir Billah Division". However, other sources such as

SOHR , image = Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Logo.jpg , image_size = 200px , caption = The logo of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , type = NGO , founded_date = , founder ...

, the ''Syrians for Truth and Justice'' group, and ''Smart News'' continued to call the group "Muntasir Billah Brigade".

History

Raqqa militia

The exact origin of Raqqa's Muntasir Billah Brigade is unclear. One of its fighters stated that he joined the group "when the revolution began", and ''

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, ne ...

'' reported that it originated in or around

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. By early 2013, the Muntasir Billah Brigade was an Islamist-leaning

militia that operated as part of the

and fought against government forces in

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 ...

, while receiving support by

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 ...

. Though relatively small at the time, the Muntasir Billah Brigade played a significant part during the Battle of Raqqa (March 2013). Having joined the "Raqqa Liberation Front's Military and Revolutionary Council", the unit first helped other rebel groups to clear the city's outskirts of

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 ...

outposts on 3 March. Three days later, Raqqa's remaining garrison handed over the eastern entrance, and then the city's center, to the Muntasir Billah Brigade and the

, mostly without offering any resistance. It remains unclear how this came to pass. In any case, capturing the city was a major success for the militia, and it subsequently took part in the siege of the nearby 17th Division base which was still held by the Syrian Army. In July 2013, the Muntasir Billah Brigade and other FSA units in Raqqa united and formed the 11th Division in an attempt to counterbalance the rising power of various Jihadist groups such as the al-Nusra Front,

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 ...

, 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 ...

. As time went on, however, ISIL began to eclipse the other groups in power, so that fighters of the Muntasir Billah Brigade started to defect to the Islamic State. In September 2013, the Muntasir Billah Brigade joined the al-Nusra Front in an attempt to halt its decline. At the time, the militia claimed to consist of 15 battalions. In October, the group fought in Tabqa against government holdouts. After ISIL suppressed the al-Nusra Front in its territory, the Muntasir Billah Brigade lost its protector, and consequently chose to join ISIL in December 2013.

Aleppo militia

It is unclear how and to what extent Raqqa's Muntasir Billah Brigade is related to the militia of the same name that appeared in

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

after the former's submission to ISIL. Firas Paşa, leader of Aleppo's Muntasir Billah Brigade, stated in a 2017 interview with ''

TRT World TRT World is a Turkish public broadcaster international news channel which broadcasts in English 24 hours a day, operated by the TRT and based in Taksim Square, Istıklal Avenue, Beyoğlu, Istanbul. It provides worldwide news and current affair ...

'' that his militia was founded by

and

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

natives of Aleppo city in 2013, while ''NOW News'' reported that Firas' group "has its origins in Raqqa". Regardless of its origin, the Muntasir Billah Brigade of Firas Paşa was fighting for the

Syrian opposition The Syrian opposition ( ar, المعارضة السورية ', ) is the political structure represented by the Syrian National Coalition and associated Syrian anti-Assad groups with certain territorial control as an alternative Syrian gover ...

in the Battle for Aleppo by January 2014, and consisted mostly of Turkmens at the time. In October 2015, the militia was among the rebel groups that attacked the

YPG The People's Defense Units (YPG), (YPG) ; ar, وحدات حماية الشعب, Waḥdāt Ḥimāyat aš-Šaʽb) also called People's Protection Units, is a mainly-Kurds in Syria, Kurdish militia in Syria and the primary component of the ...

-held

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 ...

district of Aleppo, accusing the YPG of aiding the government and attacking Turkmen villages. By early 2016, the Muntasir Billah Brigade was still rather small, counting just 350 fighters, but its leader had gained some prominence in Turkey. Paşa "regularly" appeared in Turkish television at the time, talking about the situation of the Turkmens in Syria and attempting to garner support for his group. Meanwhile, the Muntasir Billah Brigade suffered from heavy Russian airstrikes, causing Paşa to argue that "if there were no Russian planes, there would be no Assad today". The militia joined the "

" rebel coalition in February, and subsequently took part in unsuccessfully resisting a large Russian-backed offensive by government forces as well as the

in the northern Aleppo countryside. The Muntasir Billah Brigade also fought in the

against ISIL, this time as part of the

Army of Conquest The Army of Conquest ( ar, جيش الفتح) or Jaish al-Fatah, abbreviated JaF, was a joint command center of Sunni Islamist Syrian rebel factions participating in the Syrian Civil War. The alliance was formed in March 2015 under the supe ...

. On 20 June 2016, the militia took part in a

prisoner exchange A prisoner exchange or prisoner swap is a deal between opposing sides in a conflict to release prisoners: prisoners of war, spies, hostages, etc. Sometimes, dead bodies are involved in an exchange. Geneva Conventions Under the Geneva Convent ...

with

Liwa al-Quds Liwa al-Quds ( ar, لواء القدس) or the Jerusalem Brigade is a predominantly Palestinian militia (brigade) that operates as a part of pro-Syrian government forces in the Syrian Civil War. It was formed in 2013 by the engineer Muhammad al-S ...

, a pro-government militia. Like several other Turkmen FSA units, the Muntasir Billah Brigade moved at least part of its forces from Aleppo city to support the Turkish-led

in November 2016. This further weakened the last rebel resistance in the city, which was fully retaken by government forces in the following December. A senior official of the Muntasir Billah Brigade justified the retreat by arguing that the rebel defeat in Aleppo had become inevitable anyway. The group arrested three

soldiers near al-Bab in May 2017, reportedly to prevent them from looting a village. In early 2018, the militia took part in

which resulted in the conquest of

Afrin Canton Afrin Canton ( ku, Kantona Efrînê, ar, مقاطعة عفرين, syc, ܦܠܩܐ ܕܥܦܪܝܢ, translit=Pelqā dha-ʻAfrin) was one of the cantons of Rojava. Syria's Afrin District fell under the control of the People's Protection Units (YPG) arou ...

from the SDF. After the capture of Afrin city, the Muntasir Billah Brigade distributed 300 tons of sugar among the local populace. The group claimed that the sugar had been captured from the "black market storage room of the PYD" and this proved that "the Turkish army and the Free Syrian Army, have come here

frin The phrases "further research is needed" (FRIN), "more research is needed" and other variants are commonly used in research papers. The cliché is so common that it has attracted research, regulation and cultural commentary. Meaning Some resea ...

to put an end to he PYD'soppression". On the other side, the pro-PYD

Hawar News Agency '' Hawar News Agency'' (sometimes abbreviated ''ANHA'') ( ar, وكالة أنباء هاوار) is an news agency. The site started as an Arabic-only news service. Hawar News is linked to the Syrian Democratic Forces. Ownership, identity and ...

accused the unit and allied groups of looting

antiquities Antiquities are objects from antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures. Artifacts from earlier periods such as the Meso ...

in the Mobata district. By 2020, the Muntasir Billah Brigade was one of several

groups which still controlled Afrin and the surrounding countryside. According to the ''Syrians for Truth and Justice'' group, the Muntasir Billah Brigade was involved in an arbitrary arrest of a civilian in Rajo in March 2020, followed by demands of ransom.

Organization and ideology

The Muntasir Billah Brigade is prominently led by Firas Paşa, and consisted of 350 fighters, 170 of them ethnic Turkmen, by February 2016. The group is among the Syrian rebel groups that support or at least tolerate

Turkish nationalist Turkish nationalism ( tr, Türk milliyetçiliği) is a political ideology that promotes and glorifies the Turkish people, as either a national, ethnic, or linguistic group. The term "ultranationalism" is often used to describe Turkish nationalis ...

pan-Turkic Pan-Turkism is a political movement that emerged during the 1880s among Turkic intellectuals who lived in the Russian region of Kazan (Tatarstan), Caucasus (modern-day Azerbaijan) and the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Turkey), with its aim bei ...

ideologies like

and

. As result, the Muntasir Billah Brigade has been associated with various

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

right-wing or Islamist associations: By 2016, the militia received aid from the

Grey Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

and

Great Unity Party The Great Unity Party ( tr, Büyük Birlik Partisi, BBP) or Great Union Party is a far-right Sunni Islamist and ultranationalist political party in Turkey, created on 29 January 1993. By 2018, several Turkish jihadists and ultranationalists had joined the militia. Despite this, Firas Paşa has argued that his group makes no great distinction between Turkmens and Arabs, and mostly accepts aid by Turkish and Islamist groups out of simple necessity. The militia has also received support by the Turkish state, particularly after joining the Syrian National Army. Parts of the Muntasir Billah Brigade were trained by the

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; tr, Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri, TSK) are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. Turkish Armed Forces consist of the General Staff, the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Forces. The current Chi ...

in early 2018. By 2019, the unit served as "Brigade 122", part of the Division 12, in the Syrian National Army's First Legion. The militia is also known to distribute and organize

humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...

in the Aleppo countryside, and was supported by organizations like Türkmen-Der and the

Turkish Red Crescent Turkish Red Crescent (Turkish: ''Türk Kızılay'' (official) or ''Kızılay'' (for short)) is the largest humanitarian organization in Turkey and is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The organization was founded i ...

in this regard. By 2020, the group was still described as a Turkmen militia by SOHR.

Notes

References

Works cited

* * {{Syrian Civil War Anti-government factions of the Syrian civil war Anti-ISIL factions in Syria Military units and formations established in 2013 Free Syrian Army Syrian National Army 2013 establishments in Syria