Ahrar ash-Sham

Harakat Ahrar ash-Sham al-Islamiyya
حركة أحرار الشام الإسلامية
Participant in the Syrian Civil War and
the American-led intervention in Syria

Flag of Ahrar ash-Sham

Flag of Ahrar ash-Sham
Active Late 2011–present
Ideology

Sunni Islamism

Leaders

Hassan Aboud † (2011–2014)[3][4]
nom de guerre: Abu Abdullah al-Hamawi[5][6]
Abu Jaber (2014–2015)[7]

Abu Yahia al-Hamawi (2015–present)[8]
Headquarters Babsaqa, Idlib Governorate, Syria[9]
Area of operations Syria
Strength 10,000–20,000[4]
Part of Islamic Front[10]
Syrian Revolutionary Command Council[1]
Army of Conquest[11]
Fatah Halab[12]
Mare' Operations Room (alleged)[13]
Unified Military Command of Eastern Ghouta[14][15]
Ansar al-Sharia[16]
Jund al-Malahm[17]
Jaish al-Haramoun[18]
Northern Homs Countryside Operations Room[19]
Itisam bi Allah[20]
Houla Operations Room[21]
al Marj Operations Room[22]
Allies al-Nusra Front[23]
Jaysh al-Islam[24]
Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union
Army of Mujahedeen
Alweiat Al-Furqan
Sham Legion[25]
Free Syrian Army
Qatar[26]
Tejemoua’ Thowar Al Shamal[27][28][29]
Opponents Syrian Armed Forces
Syrian Resistance
National Defense Force
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant[30][31]
Iran[32]
Russia[32]
Syrian Democratic Forces
Battles and wars

Syrian Civil War

Website ahraralsham.net

Harakat Ahrar ash-Sham al-Islamiyya (Arabic: حركة أحرار الشام الإسلامية‎, translit. Ahrār ash-Shām, lit. "Islamic Movement of the Free Men of the Levant") is a coalition of multiple Islamist and Salafist units that coalesced into a single brigade in order to fight against the Ba'athist government led by Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian Civil War.[23] Ahrar ash-Sham was led by Hassan Aboud[4] until his death in 2014.[3] In July 2013, Ahrar ash-Sham had 10,000 to 20,000 fighters,[4] making it the second single most powerful unit fighting against al-Assad, after the Free Syrian Army.[35] It was the principal organization operating under the umbrella of the Syrian Islamic Front[4] and is a major component of the Islamic Front.[10] The group along with Jaysh al-Islam are the main rebel groups supported by Turkey and Saudi Arabia.[36] The group aims to create an Islamic state under Sharia law.[37][38] Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Russia have designated Ahrar ash-Sham as a terrorist organization.[39][40] Some U.S. officials have reportedly considered designating it as a terrorist organization because of its alleged links to al-Qaeda. [41]

History

The first Ahrar ash-Sham brigades were formed just after the Egyptian revolution, and before the Syrian Revolution started in 2011.[42] Most of the group founders were Islamist political prisoners who had been detained for years at the Sednaya prison until they were released as part of an amnesty by the Syrian Government in March–May 2011.[42][43][44] At the time of its establishment in late 2011, Ahrar ash-Sham consisted of about 25 rebel units spread across Syria. It has expanded since then; by July 2012, the group's website listed 50 units, and by mid-January 2013, the number had increased to 83 units.[45] Most of these units are headquartered in villages in Idlib Governorate, but many others are located in Hama and Aleppo. Some Ahrar ash-Sham units that have been involved in heavy fighting include the Qawafel al-Shuhada and Ansar al-Haqq Brigades (both in Khan Sheikhoun, Idleb Province), the al-Tawhid wal-Iman Brigade (Maarrat al-Nouman, Idleb Province), the Shahba Brigade (Aleppo City), the Hassane bin Thabet Brigade (Darat Ezza, Aleppo Province), and the Salahaddin and Abul-Fida Brigades (both in Hama City).[5]

Members of the group are Islamists.[46] Ahrar ash-Sham cooperates with the Free Syrian Army and other secular rebel groups; however, it does not maintain ties with the Syrian National Council.[47] Although they coordinate with other groups, they maintain their own strict and secretive leadership, receiving the majority of their funding and support from donors in Kuwait.[23][48][49]

Through donations from supporters abroad and the capture of materiel from the Syrian Armed Forces, Ahrar ash-Sham became one of the best-armed most powerful rebel factions active in the Syrian Civil War, having progressed from the use of improvised explosive devices and small-arms ambushes in early 2012 to assuming a lead role in large-scale sustained assaults on multiple fronts by 2013. It regularly deployed tanks and mobile artillery, anti-tank guided missiles, and occasionally 1990s-era Croatian rocket and grenade launchers and was involved in every major rebel victory over Syrian Government forces between September 2012 and mid-2013.[6] It grew significantly by absorbing into its ranks other rebel factions from the Islamic Front and the Syrian Islamic Front which preceded it.[50]

On 26 April 2015, Ahrar ash-Sham, along with other major Aleppo based groups, established the Fatah Halab joint operations room.[12][51]

The Islamic Front and Ahrar ash-Sham in particular have received weapons from Turkey according to German intelligence.[52][53]

Ideology

The Islamic Movement of Free Men of the Levant is an Islamist, reformist, innovative and comprehensive movement. It is integrated with the Islamic Front and is a comprehensive and Islamic military, political and social formation. It aims to completely overthrow the Assad regime in Syria and build an Islamic state whose only sovereign, reference, ruler, direction, and individual, societal and nationwide unifier is Allah Almighty’s Sharia (law). Translated into English by Malak Chabkoun at the Al Jazeera Center for Studies.[54]

The group has a Syrian leadership and "emphasizes that its campaign is for Syria, not for a global jihad".[4] However, according to US intelligence officials, a few al-Qaeda members released from prisons by the Syrian government have been able to influence actions of the group, and install operatives within the senior ranks of Ahrar ash-Sham.[55][56][57] Such ties were not disclosed publicly until January 2014, when a former senior leader of Ahrar ash-Sham, the now deceased Abu Khalid al-Suri, acknowledged his long-time membership in al-Qaeda and role as Ayman al-Zawahiri's representative in the Levant.[56][58]

In its first audio address, Ahrar ash-Sham stated its goal was to replace the Assad government with an Islamic state, however it acknowledged the need to take into account the population’s current state of mind. It also described the uprising as a jihad against a Safawi plot to spread Shiism and establish a Shiite state from Iran through Iraq and Syria, and extending to Lebanon and Palestine.[47] Ahrar ash-Sham has claimed that it only targets government forces and militia and that it has cancelled several operations due to fear of civilian casualties.[59] It provides humanitarian services and relief to local communities, in addition to pamphlets promoting religious commitment in daily life.[47]

Ahrar ash-Sham leader Hassan Aboud stated that Ahrar ash-Sham worked with Nusra Front and would have no problems with Nusra as long as they continued fighting Assad, Aboud also said Ahrar worked with Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in some battles but that their agenda was disagreeable. Aboud also said all parties shared the same objective of establishing an Islamic State, whether they were ISIS, Al Nusra, the Islamic Front, or the FSA but they differed as to the "tactics, strategies or methods".[60][61][62][63] Aboud noted that in Syria "there are no secular groups".[64]

Hassan Aboud condemned democracy in an interview with Al-Jazeera, saying that "Democracy is people governing people, according to rules they please, We say that we have a divine system whose law is Allah's for his creatures and his slaves who he appointed as viceregents on this Earth."[65] (الديمقراطية هي أن تحكم الناس بالناس وفق ما يرتئون له من أحكام، نحن نقول بأن لدينا نظاماً ربانياً شرعه الله لخلقه وعباده وهو استخلفنا في هذه الأرض)[66]

An Islamic Front Sharia Court Judge in Aleppo Mohamed Najeeb Bannan stated "The legal reference is the Islamic Sharia. The cases are different, from robberies to drug use, to moral crimes. It's our duty to look at any crime that comes to us. . . After the regime has fallen, we believe that the Muslim majority in Syria will ask for an Islamic state. Of course, it's very important to point out that some say the Islamic Sharia will cut off people's hands and heads, but it only applies to criminals. And to start off by killing, crucifying etc. That is not correct at all." In response to being asked what the difference between the Islamic Front's and ISIS's version of sharia would be, he said "One of their mistakes is before the regime has fallen, and before they've established what in Sharia is called Tamkeen [having a stable state], they started applying Sharia, thinking God gave them permission to control the land and establish a Caliphate. This goes against the beliefs of religious scholars around the world. This is what [IS] did wrong. This is going to cause a lot of trouble. Anyone who opposes [IS] will be considered against Sharia and will be severely punished."[67]

An Ahrar ash-Sham leader Abu Abdul Malik said that "The nations do not change drastically overnight and the plant does not ripen suddenly nor does its fruit ripen until they stand upon stalks and whoever hastens in a thing before its due time will be punished by being deprived of it. The Fiqh of Mara7el (stages) is from Siyasah Shar'iyyah - In the beginning the prophet called his tribe who were closest to him then the people of Makkah and the cities around it, then the Arab specially then all of mankind. Therefore, measure & prioritize". (إن الأمم لا تتغيرفجأة بين عشية وضحاها ، والنبات لايثمر فجأة ، وثماره لا تنضج إلا إذا استوى على سوقه، ومن تعجل بشيء قبل أوانه عوقب بحرمانه . فقه المراحل من السياسة النبوية ابتدأ النبي بدعوة عشيرته الأقربين، ثم دعا أهل مكة وما حولها، ثم العرب خاصة، ثم الناس كافة . (وعلى ذلك فقس) .)[68][69][70]

Ahrar ash-Sham and the Islamic Front in general issued condolences for Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar upon his death.[71][72][73]

At an Ahrar ash-Sham seminar on religion in the northern Homs countryside, the Quran verse 48:29 enjoining Muslims to be harsh against the infidels (أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ) was featured prominently on a white banner.[74] Ahrar ash-Sham opened a military training camp in Aleppo called the "harsh against the infidels" (أشداء على الكفار) camp.[75]

At the border crossing of Bab al Hawa on the Syria Turkey border, the white "Flag of Tawheed" was raised by Ahrar al Sham.[76]

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey have been actively supporting Ahrar ash-Sham.[77] A statement issued by Ahrar ash-Sham thanked Turkey and Qatar for their help.[78][79][80]

The deceased Ahrar ash-Sham leader Abu Hamza Al-Sharkia stated to a gathering of Ahrar fighters: "Keep in mind that in our route that we chose, soldiers and leaders is to fight until we conquer or have shahada in the way of Allah."[81]

Ahrar ash-Sham member Dr. Abd al-Karim al-Kurdi tweeted an image of a quote made by Jabhat al-Nusra Shaykh Majid Al Rashid defending Ahrar and expounding on unity between Ahrar and Nusra- (جبهة النصرة وأحرار الشام عينان في رأس واحدة ولا يعرف الفضل لأهل الفضل إلا أصحاب الفضل).[82]

When interviewed by the Financial Times on August 14, Ahrar ash-Sham commander Eyad Shaar said "We are not from Mars. We are part of Syrian society and the international community. . . We want to be part of the solution,"[83] Eyad Shaar tweeted on October 1 : "The west does not grasp that by permitting Russia to occupy Syria, it has opened upon itself the gates of hell. You (plural) do not frighten us and praise to God, you will unify us. The Levant is the graveyard of invaders." (لايدرك الغرب أن بسماحه لروسيا بإحتلال سوريا أنه فتح على نفسه أبواب جهنم. أنتم لاترعبونا أنتم والحمد لله ستوحدونا.الشام مقبرة الغزاة.)[84][85]

Distancing from al Qaeda

Ahrar ash-Sham's political representative told International Business Times in December 2015 that Ahrar ash-Sham are "not related with al Qaeda, we only fight with them against Assad and ISIS".[86]

Notable incidents

Ahrar ash-Sham was held responsible for rescuing NBC News team including reporter Richard Engel, producer Ghazi Balkiz, cameraman John Kooistra and others after they were kidnapped in December 2012. While Engel initially blamed pro-Assad Shabiha militants for the abduction, it later turned out that they were "almost certainly" abducted by an FSA affiliated rebel group.[87]

There were around 500 people in Ahrar ash-Sham in August 2012.[88]

In December 2012, a new umbrella organization was announced, called the Syrian Islamic Front, consisting of 11 Islamist rebel organizations. Ahrar ash-Sham was the most prominent of these, and a member of Ahrar ash-Sham's, Abu 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Suri, served as the Front's spokesman.[89] In November 2013, the SIF announced that it was dissolving, and that its components would henceforth operate as part of the newly formed Islamic Front.[90]

In January 2013, several of the member organizations of the Syrian Islamic Front announced that they were joining forces with Ahrar ash-Sham into a broader group called Harakat Ahrar ash-Sham al-Islamiyya (The Islamic Movement of Ahrar ash-Sham).[44] In September 2013, members of ISIL killed the Ahrar ash-Sham commander Abu Obeida Al-Binnishi, after he had intervened to protect a Malaysian Islamic charity; ISIL had mistaken its Malaysian flag for that of the United States.[91]

In August 2013, members of the brigade uploaded a video of their downing of a Syrian Air Force MiG-21 over the Latakia province with a Chinese-made FN-6 MANPADS, apparently becoming the first recorded kill with such a weapon.[92]

In mid-November 2013, after the Battle for Brigade 80 near the Aleppo International Airport, fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant beheaded a commander[93] of Ahrar ash-Sham forces, mistaking him for an Iraqi Shiite pro-government militiaman.[94]

In December 2013, there were reports of fighting between ISIL & another Islamic rebel group in the town of Maskana, Aleppo; activists reported that the Islamic rebel group was identified as Ahrar ash-Sham.[95][96][97]

On 23 February 2014, one of the top commanders and al-Qaeda representative,[56][58] Abu Khalid al-Suri, was killed in a suicide bombing in Aleppo, organized by ISIL.[56][98]

On 9 September 2014, a bomb went off during a high level meeting in Idlib province, killing Hassan Abboud, the leader of the group, and 27 other senior commanders, including military field commanders, members of the group's Shura council, and leaders of allied brigades. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack. The day after the bombing Abu Jaber was announced as replacement leader.[1][99][100]

In early November 2014, representatives from Ahrar ash-Sham reportedly attended a meeting with al-Nusra Front, the Khorasan Group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and Jund al-Aqsa, which sought to unite the groups against the Assad regime.[101] However, by 14 November 2014, it was reported that the negotiations had failed.[102]

During the night of 6 November 2014, a US airstrike targeted the group for the first time, hitting its headquarters in Idlib governorate[9] and killing Abu al-Nasr, who was in charge of receiving weapons for the group.[103] On 24 November 2014, a US airstrike on the ISIL headquarters building in Ma'dan, Ar-Raqqah killed another Ahrar ash-Sham fighter, who was being held prisoner by ISIL.[104]

The New York Times reported that the pro Al-Qaeda Saudi cleric Abdullah Al-Muhaisini ordered that Christians in Idlib were not to be killed, and that Christians were being defended by Ahrar ash-Sham.[105][106] However, there were subsequent reports of Ahrar ash-Sham executing Christians in the city.[107][108]

On 14 July 2015, two suicide bombers blew themselves up at an Ahrar ash-Sham Movement headquarters killing Abu Abdul Rahman Salqeen (an Ahrar ash-Sham leader) and 5-6 others in Idlib province.[109][110]

ِOn 27 August 2015, during the ISIL offensive on the city of Mare in Northern Aleppo, Ahrar ash-Sham militants captured and beheaded an injured ISIL fighter.[111][112]

On 21 October 2015, the Jund al Malahim operations room was created as an alliance of Ajnad al Sham, Ahrar ash-Sham and Al-Nusra in Rif Dimashq.[113]

See also

References

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