Khalid ibn al-Walid Army

Khalid ibn al-Walid Army
جيش خالد بن الوليد Participant in the Syrian civil war
The Black Standard of ISIL
Active	21 May 2016 – present
Ideology	Salafi jihadism
Groups	Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade Islamic Muthanna Movement Army of Jihad
Leaders	Abu Hashim al-Hamawi Abu Hashim al-Shami (2016)[1] † Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi (2016-present)[2]
Area of operations	Daraa Governorate, Quneitra Governorate
Part of	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Opponents	Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army Al-Nusra Front Syrian Armed Forces
Battles and wars	Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian civil war

The Khalid ibn al-Walid Army (Arabic: جيش خالد بن الوليد‎‎ Jaysh Khalid ibn al-Waleed) is an armed Salafi jihadist group active in southern Syria. It was formed by a merger of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, the Islamic Muthanna Movement, and the Army of Jihad, all affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, on 21 May 2016. The faction controls a strip of territory southeast of the Golan Heights and is in conflict with forces of the Syrian rebels.^[1]

History

The group is named after Khalid ibn al-Walid, who led the Muslim armies in the Battle of Yarmouk in 636 CE, which inflicted a heavy defeat on the Byzantine Army and led to the Muslim conquest of the Levant.

The date on the document declaring the establishment of the group is 14 Sha'aban 1437, corresponding to Saturday 21 May 2016 and is signed by Abu Hashim al-Shami (also known as Abu Hashim al-Hamawi), the emir of the group.^[3]

On 14 August 2016, the Khalid ibn al-Walid Army launched a major attack against the Army of Conquest-held town of Hawd Al-Yarmouk; however, despite heavy fighting and losses on both sides, no progress was made by the ISIL fighters.^[4][5]

References