Jaysh al-Salam
Army of Peace
جيش السلام
LeadersAbdul Karim Obeid ("Abu Mohammed Kafr Zita") Surrendered[1]
Dates of operation23 June 2015—late 2015/early 2016
Group(s)
HeadquartersTell Abyad, Raqqa Governorate, Syria
Active regions
Part ofSyrian Democratic Forces Free Syrian Army
Allies
OpponentsIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War
Flag

Jaysh al-Salam (Arabic: جيش السلام, lit. 'Army of Peace') was an operations room of Free Syrian Army factions that operated in northern and eastern Syria with the goal of attacking the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Raqqa.

As of the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, the coalition appeared to be defunct. Components of the group later joined the Syrian Democratic Forces throughout 2016.[4] It was superseded by various other groups and military councils within the SDF.[5]

Ideology

During the founding statement of the Liberation Brigade on 12 September 2014, the group declared that they will be the "forces of democracy, chosen by the Syrian people" and vowed to defend liberty and preserve the unity of Syrian territory. The group also claimed that it will follow "strict military standards" in discipline and the selection of commanders.[1]

Groups

Liwa Ahrar al-Raqqa

The Jihad in the Path of God Brigade (Arabic: لواء الجهاد في سبيل الله, romanized: Liwa al-Jihad fi Sabeel Allah) is a rebel group that operated in eastern Aleppo Governorate. It was formed as a subunit of Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa in September 2012, but later left the group.[6] It fought the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the eastern Aleppo province.[7] The group acknowledges the Syrian opposition-in-exile government the Syrian National Council and the Supreme Military Council.[7] The Jihad in the Path of God Brigade was a founding member group of the Euphrates Volcano operations room formed in September 2014.[8]

The group was later renamed as Liwa Ahrar al-Raqqa (Arabic: لواء أحرار الرقة, romanized: Free Raqqa Brigade), which then joined the Syrian Democratic Forces in March 2016.[2]

Liberation Brigade

Abdul Karim Obeid, the commander of the Liberation Brigade, in al-Shaddadi after the offensive in February 2016

The Liberation Brigade (Arabic: لواء التحرير, Liwa al-Tahrir) is a FSA-affiliated rebel group that was formed in the city of Ras al-Ayn, part of the northern Hasakah Governorate, on 12 September 2014. Led by Abdul Karim Obeid, also known as Abu Mohammed Kafr Zita, a former commander of the Farouq Brigades, the group joined the Euphrates Volcano operations room in coordination with the YPG soon after its formation.[1] In mid-2015, the group participated in the Tell Abyad offensive and jointly controlled the border crossing with Akçakale.[3]

In early June 2016 the Liberation Brigade's commander, Abdul Karim Obeid, attended and spoke at the funeral of Abu Layla, who was killed during the Manbij offensive, in Kobane.[9]

In September 2016 tensions flared up between the YPG and members of the Liberation Brigade due to the perceived marginalization of FSA and Arab components of the Syrian Democratic Forces, while SDF sources suggested Abdul Karim Obeid was displeased with the civil administration of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria replacing warlordist political rule in the Free Syrian Army style.[10] The group also refused to fight the Turkish Armed Forces and its allies during the Jarabulus offensive. In a video message to the United States, the group's commander, Abdul Karim Obeid, called for the SDF to be reformed into a united army under the authority of the United States Central Command and threatened to leave the SDF and withdraw from Tell Abyad if the YPG continued to dominate the coalition.[11] As a response, the YPG imposed a blockade on the villages controlled by the group. Hours later, Abdul Karim Obeid and dozens of his fighters crossed from Tell Abyad into Turkey and defected to the Turkish Army. About 25 to 50 of them arrived in Jarabulus and joined pro-Turkish rebels fighting the SDF. The remaining fighters stayed with the SDF.[12]

Since November 2016, the pro-SDF Liberation Brigade faction took part in the Raqqa campaign, including the Battle of Raqqa since June 2017.[13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Free Army Liberation Brigade in the city of Ras al-Ayn of Hasaka". ARA News. 13 September 2014. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Who are the banner of free tenderness?". Hawar News Agency. 19 March 2016. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Border gate taken under control by YPG/YPJ and Liwa Al-Tahrir forces". ANF News. 15 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "What platoons are participating in freeing Raqqa campaign?". Hawar News Agency. 25 May 2016. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  5. ↑ Роша, Коуди (17 November 2016). "Syrian Opposition group infographics [updates]". Archived from the original on 15 December 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Syrian Civil War factions".
  7. 1 2 "The Factions of Raqqa Province". Syria Comment. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "YPG and FSA set up 'Joint Action Centre'". Firat News. 11 September 2014. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  9. ↑ "Kobani deposited battalion commander Shams Abu Leila North". Al-Etihad Press. 7 June 2016.
  10. ↑ Tastekin, Fehim (September 8, 2016). "US backing ensures Arab-Kurd alliance in Syria will survive". Al-Monitor.
  11. ↑ "Tensions between the Liberation Brigade and the Syrian Democratic Forces". Arabi 21. 2 September 2016.
  12. ↑ "Liberation Brigade defected in Jarabulus". Baladi News. 2 September 2016. Archived from the original on 5 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  13. ↑ Matthieu Delmas (28 July 2017). "At the reconquest of Raqqa, with the Brigade of Liberation". Le Figaro.
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