Syrian Martyrs' Brigade

Syrian Martyrs' Brigade
تجمع كتائب وألوية شهداء سوريا
Participant in Syrian Civil War

Official logo of the Syrian Martyrs' Brigade
Active December 2011 – present
Leaders Jamal Maarouf
Headquarters Jabal al-Zawiya, Idlib Governorate, Syria
Area of operations

Idlib Governorate, Syria

Aleppo Governorate, Syria

Strength 7,000[1]–12,000[2]
Part of Free Syrian Army[3]
Syria Revolutionaries Front[4]
Originated as Martyrs of Jabal al-Zawiya Battalion[1]
Allies
Opponents
Battles and wars

Syrian Civil War

The Syrian Martyrs' Brigade (Arabic: تجمع كتائب وألوية شهداء سوريا‎‎, Shuhada Suriya), also known as the Martyrs of Syria Brigade, is a unit of the Free Syrian Army and the Syria Revolutionaries Front which is active in Idlib Governorate. The unit was formed early during the Syrian civil war in order to fight against the Syrian Government.

Background

The Syrian Martyrs' Brigade was formed in December 2011 under the name of the Shuhada (Martyrs) Jebel al-Zawiyah Battalion, operating from the 33 villages that make up the rural Jebel al-Zawiyah region south-west of Aleppo.[5] By July 2012, as the group expanded its size and operating territory from the Turkish border in the north to Hama in the south, it had changed its name.[1]

Led by Jamal Maarouf (also known as Abu Khalid), who once hunted and worked in construction, and was one of the first men in the area to take up arms against the Syrian security forces,[6] the group has grown to become one of the largest rebel factions in Idlib Governorate.

Unlike the other major rebel group that operates out of Jabal al-Zawiya, Suqour al-Sham, the Shuhada has been tied closely to the Idlib Military Council, a provincial-level military structure that integrates different rebel and revolutionary groups.[5] The Syrian Martyrs' Brigade has traditionally relied on its support from local communities,[2] and much of their weapons has been captured from government forces or purchased from corrupt army units,[7] but it has been reported that the group also receives funds and weaponry from Saudi Arabia.[8]

Popular support for the Martyrs' Brigade dwindled throughout much of 2013 due to the groups perceived lack of any defined ideology and allegations of criminality from rival rebel groups. In December 2013 Maarouf and his group became the leading figures in a new rebel alliance called the Syria Revolutionaries Front.[9]

Activity

After placing the Syrian Air Force base at Abu al-Duhur under siege, the Syrian Martyrs' Brigade were credited with downing two MiG-21 and one MiG-23 jet fighters in August and September 2012, including one reportedly shot down by Maarouf himself.[7]

In January 2014, the Syrian Martyrs' Brigade killed Haji Bakr, a senior military commander in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group.[10]

Ideology

Unlike the Salafist Suqour al-Sham, the Martyr's Brigade has been described as not motivated by any particular ideology, although the leadership comes from a background of Sunni Muslim observance and traditional rural values.[2] The groups subunits are often named after Syrian nationalist figures rather than Islamic ones.[11] Maarouf does not advocate an Islamic state, and is wary of Islamist groups, however his group cooperates with them on the battlefield.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Syria's rebels Who will come out on top?". The Economist. 11 August 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Rebels With a Cause, But Not Much Consensus". Foreign Policy. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  3. ↑ "A day with the Free Syrian Army". Al Arabiya. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "FSA alliance pushes back against Islamic Front". The Daily Star. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Rebel Groups in Jebel Al-Zawiyah" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War.
  6. ↑ "Where the Rebels Rule Syria's Boys of Summer". al Monitor. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Rebels Make Gains in Blunting Syrian Air Attacks". New York Times. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "Syria's Secular and Islamist Rebels: Who Are the Saudis and the Qataris Arming?". Time Magazine. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  9. ↑ "The Frontman vs. al Qaeda". Foreign Policy. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  10. ↑ "ISIS confirms death of senior leader in Syria". Long War Journal. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  11. ↑ "Inside Syria's Fracturing Rebellion". The New Republic.
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