This article is missing information about their history before 2016. (November 2016) |
The Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union (Arabic: الاتحاد الإسلامي لأجناد الشام, al-ittihad al-islami li-ajnad al-sham, "Islamic Union of the Soldiers of the Levant") was an alliance of Sunni Islamist groups affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood[9] that was active in the Rif Dimashq Governorate during the Syrian Civil War.[5]
| Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union الاتحاد الإسلامي لأجناد الشام | |
|---|---|
 Official logo of Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union | |
| Leaders | Faysal al-Shami †[1] Abu Muhammad al-Fatah (until November 2015)[2][3] |
| Dates of operation | 2 December 2013[4] – May 2018 |
| Active regions | Rif Dimashq Governorate |
| Ideology | Sunni Islamism[5] |
| Size | 15,000 (self-claim, 2014)[3] |
| Part of | Unified Military Command of Eastern Ghouta (2014–15)[6] |
| Allies |  Free Syrian Army
 Ahrar al-Sham |
| Opponents | Syrian Armed Forces[7] Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant |
| Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War |
History
editIn early November 2013, a large number of Sunni Islamist rebel groups in the wider Damascus region announced the formation of the “Greater Damascus Operations Room”, excluding Jaysh al-Islam and the most radical jihadis al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[2] Later that month, five of the larger and most locally well-established groups within the Operations Room—the Habib al-Mustafa Brigades and Battalions, the Amjad al-Islam Gathering, the Sahaba Brigades and Battalions, the Youth of Huda Battalions and the Shield of the Capital Brigade—declared the creation of the Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union. Abu Muhammad al-Fatah, commander of the Youth of Huda Battalions, was appointed as leader of the formation.[2]
The group was initially allied with Jaysh al-Islam—the largest rebel group in eastern Ghouta—with Islamic Union leader Abu Muhammad al-Fatah being the deputy of Jaysh al-Islam leader Zahran Alloush in the Unified Military Command of Eastern Ghouta.[6] The two groups subsequently came into conflict control of smuggling tunnels in 2015. Jaysh al-Islam attacked the Islamic Union's headquarters several times between 2015 and early 2016.[9] As a result, Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union fighters based in eastern Ghouta, including the entire Habib al-Mustafa Brigades and Battalions, announced their "full incorporation" into the al-Rahman Legion, though reiterating that its fighters based in the western Damascus suburbs of Darayya and Muadamiyat as well as in southern Damascus would still operate under the Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union banner and were not a part of this merger.[10] The Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union fighters who joined the Rahman Legion were barred from leadership positions and their weapons were seized and redistributed among other Legion members.[9]
On 26 February 2016, Syrian Army Special Forces killed the second leader of the Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union, Faysal al-Shami ("Abu Malek"), after intense clashes in the Darayya Association Quarter.[1]
On 19 March 2017, Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union fighters who left Darayya and Muadamiyat between August and October 2016 as part of the evacuation deal to Idlib joined the Sham Legion,[11] reducing the presence of the Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union to two pockets in the Damascus and Rif Damascus areas.
After the completion of the Beit Jinn offensive in January 2018 and the Southern Damascus offensive the following month, Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union presence was further reduced to a single pocket in the southern outskirt of Damascus.
In May 2018, the remaining members evacuated to Idlib. Following the evacuation, the groups ceased to be active.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Leith Fadel (26 February 2016). "Top rebel commander killed in Darayya amid Syrian Army advance". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ^ a b c "The Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ a b Jennifer Cafarella and Genevieve Casagrande, Syrian Armed Opposition Powerbrokers, Middle East Security Report 29, March 2016, Institute for the Study of War
- ^ "Pushing Back Against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant: The Path to Conflict". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Damascus Preachers and the Armed Rebellion". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Abu Mohammed al-Fateh resigns from the leadership of the Islamic Union of Ajnad al-Sham". Enab Baladi. 30 November 2015.
- ^ "Army makes first push toward Aleppo in a year". The Daily Star. 28 January 2014. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ^ Fadel, Leith (21 June 2016). "Islamist offensive in Darayya ends in failure". al-masdar News. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
- ^ a b c Omar Bahaa al-Din (11 August 2017). ""Legion of Rahman" and "Ajnad al-Sham": Allied conflict". Al-Modon.
- ^ Albin Szakola (19 February 2016). "Damascus rebels merge amid Jaysh al-Islam "intimidation"". Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ "فيلق الشام on Twitter".