Ajnad al-Sham
أجناد الشام
Leaders
Dates of operationNovember 2013 – 28 April 2017[6]
Group(s)
  • Martyr Khalid Zaarour Battalion (former)[7]
  • al-Majd Brigade (former)[8]
Active regionsIdlib Governorate[4]
Hama Governorate[9]
IdeologySunni Islamism
Part ofArmy of Conquest (2015–2017)[10]
Tahrir al-Sham (Jan.-Jun. 2017; Nov. 2017-present)
Ahrar al-Sham (Jun.-Nov. 2017)
Allies Ahrar al-Sham
Tahrir al-Sham
Opponents Syria
 Russia
 Hezbollah
Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba[11]
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War
Designated as a terrorist group by Malaysia[14]

The Ajnad al-Sham (Arabic: أجناد الشام, Soldiers of the Levant) was an independent Idlib and Hama-based rebel group active during the Syrian Civil War. The group is named after Ajnad al-Sham. It joined the Army of Conquest on 24 March 2015 and took part in the Second Battle of Idlib.[10] On 29 March 2014, it announced that its military leader, Abu Abdullah Taoum, was killed during clashes around al-Fouaa.

History

On 5 November 2015, during the 2nd Northwestern Syria offensive, Ajnad al-Sham militants in the Hama Governorate killed and beheaded an unnamed Syrian Army Brigadier general and placed his head in a bin.[9][15] They posted a picture of it on Facebook and Twitter where fellow militants praised this execution and labelled the Brigadier general with derogatory slogans like "Nusayri" - a term for Alawites.[9]

In May 2016, a statement by the group threatened to retaliate against government forces if demands related to a prison riot in Hama were not met.[16] On May 5th, as part of the Southern Aleppo campaign, members of Ajnad al Sham, Al Nusra Front and the Free Syrian Army assaulted the village of Khan Tuman, leaving 43 assailants (including suicide bombers), 30 syrian and iranian soldiers and other 21 wounded.[17][18]

In June, Ajnad al-Sham along with more rebel groups led a new jihadist assault in the southern Aleppo countryside, targeting the villages of Khalsah and Zeitain, controlled pro-government forces, leaving near 86 soldiers killed. The rebels initially captured Zeytan, whilst heavy fighting continued in Khalsah.[19][20] The group continues with his armed campaign in the next months.[21] The incident most notorious was the attack with Hamdaniyeh neighborhood, which left three civilians killed and other twelve wounded.[22][23]

In February 2017, during clashes between Ahrar al-Sham, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the ISIL affiliated Jund al-Aqsa, the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Ajnad al-Sham came under attack from fighters from Jund al-Aqsa at their headquarters along with Saraya al-Ghuraba another Jihadist group, and during the attack, Jund al-Aqsa reportedly seized weapons and vehicles from Ajnad al-Sham and Saraya al-Ghuraba.[24]

On 18 June 2017, after joining Hayat Tahrir al-Sham the group left HTS instead joining Ahrar al-Sham.[25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "More jihadist groups defect from Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham in northern Syria". 18 June 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  2. ↑ oreusser (22 July 2017). "Sheikh Abu Ibrahim al-Diri has become the new general leader for Ajnad al-Sham after Abu Hamza al-Hamawi resigned. Not a coincidencepic.twitter.com/WFpL9k0fPC".
  3. ↑ "The leader of Ajnad Alsham tells were the next target of the army of conquest". 29 July 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "The leader of al-Qaeda-affiliated Ajnad al-Sham battalion killed in Idlib". Breaking News. 29 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  5. 1 2 Zen Adra (4 July 2016). "Jihadi groups mourn top leader in northern Latakia". al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 21 July 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "Al-Qaeda-linked terror leader killed in Syria's Idlib". Shia Post. 30 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  7. ↑ oreusser (17 June 2017). "Ajnad al-Sham affiliated "Martyr Khalid Zaarour battalion" announces joining #HTS.pic.twitter.com/Fg8rN9wg1s".
  8. ↑ ""Jaish al-Hama" regional rebel merger pledges allegiance to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham". Archived from the original on 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Leith Fadel (6 November 2015). "U.S. Backed Moderate Rebels Proudly Post Images of Beheaded Syrian Soldiers in Northern Hama". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Al Qaeda and allies form coalition to battle Syrian regime in Idlib". Long War Journal. 24 March 2015.
  11. ↑ ""أجناد الشام" يعلن أسر عناصر من حزب الله و"النجباء" بحلب". 28 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "Islamic State closes in on Syrian city of Aleppo; U.S. abandons rebel training effort". Reuters. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "Key Syrian rebel groups join forces as fighting in Hama escalates". Middle East Eye. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  14. ↑ Anti Money... and PROCEEDS OF Unlawful Activities Act 2001
  15. ↑ "Russian warplanes target the northern countryside of Hama and violent clashes in the vicinity of Atshan". SOHR. 6 November 2015. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  16. ↑ "Syria: Hama prison besieged as inmates riot". www.aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera English. 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2016-07-10.
  17. ↑ "Syria war: Rebels capture strategic Aleppo village". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  18. ↑ "'Horrifying' Syrian refugee camp bombing as rebels seize key Aleppo village". International Business Times. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  19. ↑ "At Least 70 Fighters Killed in Aleppo Clashes". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  20. ↑ "Syrian rebels capture areas, dozens dead". Arab News. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  21. ↑ "GTD ID:201610270079". Global Terrorism Database. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  22. ↑ "Syrian rebels launch Aleppo counter-attack to break siege". France24. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  23. ↑ "Syrian war: Rebels group to launch Aleppo counter-attack with heavy shelling of government-held areas". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  24. ↑ "Jund al-Aqsa organization controls 17 villages, towns and cities in the countryside of Idlib and Hama • the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights". 9 February 2017.
  25. ↑ "More jihadist groups defect from Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham in northern Syria". 18 June 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.


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