The Idlib Martyrs' Brigade ( ar, لواء شهداء إدلب, ''Liwa Shuhada Idlib'') was an armed rebel group that fought 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 the

Idlib Governorate Idlib Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة ادلب / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Idlib'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay province to the north, Aleppo Governorate to the east, Hama ...

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 first operated under the name Syrian Liberation Army ( ar, جيش التحرير السوري), but had renamed itself by the end of April 2012. It was a loose coalition of localized forces, mostly composed of armed Syrian civilians who joined the uprising.

History

The group was based in

and was primarily concerned with trying to expel government forces from the governorate, with the Idlib Martyrs' Brigade claiming that they, and not the better equipped

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 ...

, are doing the majority of the fighting in Idlib province. The brigade only appears to be active in Idlib province. One of the group's primary problems was the fact that it was incredibly difficult for it to secure weapons and ammunition. This in turn severely hampered its recruitment and its ability to carry out attacks on Syrian government forces. The group has claimed that up to 7,100 people were ready to join the group but were prevented from doing so due to lack of weaponry and equipment. This shortage resulted in the group placing greater emphasis on roadside bombings using cheaper, homemade bombs, to fight the government. The group also refused to abide by the Kofi Annan brokered ceasefire with Haitham Qudeimati, the group's spokesman, stating that any lull in the fighting on their part would only be due to a lack of weaponry. On 5 November 2012, the head of the Idlib Martyrs' Brigade, Basil Eissa, along with at least 20 other rebels were killed in an airstrike by the Syrian Air Force. On 9 December 2013, the Idlib Martyrs' Brigade alongside 13 other rebel groups formed the

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 ...

. In September 2014

conflict Conflict may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton * ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne * ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...

erupted between the SRF 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 ...

in the Idlib Governorate. A number of fighters from the Idlib Martyrs' Brigade were killed in the fighting.

References

Anti-government factions of the Syrian civil war Anti-ISIL factions in Syria Military units and formations established in 2012 Military units and formations disestablished in 2014 {{syria-stub

History

See also

References