Northern Democratic Brigade

Northern Democratic Brigade
Arabic: لواء الشمال الديمقراطي‎‎ Participant in the Syrian Civil War
Emblem of the Northern Democratic Brigade. The unit also uses the Syrian independence flag.[1]
Active	c. 2013 – present
Ideology	Democracy Syrian nationalism
Leaders	Alexander Khalil[2] Alexander Alaa[3][4] Absi Taha ("Abu Omar")[5] Khaled Zino (spokesperson)[6]
Headquarters	Jabal Zawiya (2013–2014) Afrin Canton (2014–2015) Shahba region (since 2016)
Area of operations	Aleppo Governorate Idlib Governorate Raqqa Governorate Hasakah Governorate
Part of	Free Syrian Army[7] Free Zawiya Union (2013–2014)[8] Free Syria Brigade (2014)[9] Syrian Revolutionaries Front (2013–2014)[7] Syrian Salvation Front (2014)[9][10] Army of Revolutionaries (2015–2016)[9] Syrian Democratic Forces (since Nov. 2015)[11]
Originated as	al-Qa'qa' Brigade
Allies	National Unity Brigades (2013–2014)[12] Idlib Martyrs' Brigade (2013–2014)[8] Kurdish Front (since 2014) Shahba Forces People's Protection Units (since 2014) Women's Protection Units (since 2014)
Opponents	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant  Turkey[13] Turkish-backed rebel groups[13] Al-Nusra Front Ahrar al-Sham Jund al-Aqsa (2014) Syrian Armed Forces (2013–2014)
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Idlib Governorate clashes (June 2012–April 2013) Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016) al-Nusra Front–SRF/Hazzm Movement conflict[7] 2015 Al-Hawl offensive[2] Turkish military intervention in Syria Western al-Bab offensive (September 2016) Western al-Bab offensive (October–November 2016)[13] Battle of al-Bab[6] Raqqa campaign (2016–present) Battle of Raqqa (2017)[14]

The Northern Democratic Brigade (Arabic: لواء الشمال الديمقراطي‎‎) is a Free Syrian Army unit, led by Alexander Khalil,^[2][7][6] that is closely allied to the Syrian Kurdish YPG and YPJ in Afrin Canton since 2014. It also joined the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in November 2015. Most members of the group originated from Jabal Zawiya in Idlib.^[1]

History

The unit was formed in Idlib Governorate around 2013 and was originally known as the Free Syrian Army's^[7] al-Qa'qa' Brigade (Arabic: لواء القعقاع‎‎), part of the Free Zawiya Brigade based in the Jabal Zawiya region of Idlib.^[8] In the course of 2014, it first joined the Free Syria Brigade, then switched to the Syrian Revolutionaries Front, and finally became part of the Syrian Salvation Front in May 2014. When the al-Nusra Front–SRF/Hazzm Movement conflict broke out, the al-Qa'qa' Brigade, then as part of the Syrian Salvation Front's Free Zawiya Union, was pushed out of the region by the al-Nusra Front, Jund al-Aqsa, and Ahrar al-Sham by November 2014,^[15] and withdrew north to the YPG-held Afrin Canton.^[9]

In November 2015, the al-Qa'qa' Brigade was one of several FSA groups from the Idlib and Aleppo Governorates that officially joined the newly founded Syrian Democratic Forces,^[11][16] and also became part of the Army of Revolutionaries.^[9] Soon after its accession into the SDF and the Army of Revolutionaries, the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham accused the al-Qa'qa' Brigade of apostasy and launched an attack on the SDF in northern Aleppo.^[17] Nevertheless, the unit managed to send some of its forces to the Kobanî and Jazira Cantons to fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), for example taking part in the offensive to capture al-Hawl.^[2] By January 2016, one of the al-Qa'qa' Brigade's leaders, Absi Taha ("Abu Omar"), was appointed the military commander of the Army of Revolutionaries.^[18] Nevertheless, the brigade eventually left the Army of Revolutionaries in February 2016,^[5] adopted its new name "Northern Democratic Brigade", and became an independent group within the SDF.^[9]

In August 2016, the Northern Democratic Brigade and other pro-SDF FSA groups condemned the Turkish military intervention in Syria and the international coalition for supporting it, accusing the Turkish-backed forces of committing "massacres" in villages near Jarabulus, and announced their support for the SDF's Jarabulus Military Council.^[19] Soon after, the brigade participated in the Western al-Bab offensive against ISIL forces in northern Aleppo, and captured Harbul, Maarat Umm Hawsh, and several other villages in the area.^[20]

In October 2016, the group participated in the second Western al-Bab offensive, during which it helped to capture the village Tal Malid from the Turkish-backed rebel groups (TFSA).^[13] In course of the following Battle of al-Bab, the Northern Democratic Brigade again fought TFSA groups, including at al-Samakia.^[6]

In the final phase of the Battle of Aleppo in December 2016, the Northern Democratic Brigade called upon FSA groups encircled in the city to join the SDF, claiming that one local unit, the "Complete Military Battalion" had already joined it.^[21]

The Northern Democratic Brigade, along with several other SDF groups in the area, attended the second conference of the Syrian National Democratic Alliance in Afrin in late May 2017.^[22]

Since June 2017, the Northern Democratic Brigade also sent its fighters to take part in the SDF campaign to capture Raqqa from ISIL. Units from the group were stationed in Tabqa^[23] while others participated in the Battle of Raqqa.^[14][7]

On 2 July, the military commander of the unit declared that the Northern Democratic Brigade was ready to help "liberate all Syrian territory from the Turkish occupation" and called on TFSA groups to defect to the SDF. This statement was in response to alleged Turkish plans to invade Afrin Canton and the Shahba region.^[4] He repeated this declaration four days later in course of a joint statement by several Arab SDF groups against Turkey.^[24]

References