Jaysh al-Ahrar

Jaysh al-Ahrar
Army of the Free
Jaysh al-Ahrar; Army of the Free
Arabic: جيش الأحرار
	Logo of the group
Leaders	Hasim al-Shaykh ("Abu Jaber", founder and commander until Sept. 2017); Khalil Ismail Arslan ("Abu Ismail Gubas", deputy commander) †; Walid al-Mushayil ("Abu Hashim", artillery commander);
Dates of operation	1 December 2016 – present
Split from	Ahrar al-Sham
Group(s)	Liwa al-Tamkeen; Liwa Ahrar al-Jabal al-Wastani; Martyr Ali Mutlaq Battalion; al-Naasan Bloc;
Active regions	Northwestern Syria Idlib Governorate; Aleppo Governorate; Hama Governorate; Latakia Governorate;
Ideology	Sunni Islamism Salafism Salafi Islamism; ;
Size	1,500–2,000 (Jan. 2017)
Part of	Tahrir al-Sham (Jan.–Sep. 2017) ; National Front for Liberation (since Aug. 2018); Defeat the Invaders Operations Room (Feb.–May 2018)
Allies	Tahrir al-Sham Jabhat Fatah al-Sham; Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria; Ahrar al-Sham; Sham Legion; Free Syrian Army
Opponents	Syria; Iran; Russia; Hezbollah
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Battle of Aleppo; Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War Idlib Governorate clashes (January–March 2017); Idlib Governorate clashes (July 2017); ; Northwestern Syria campaign (October 2017–February 2018); 2018 Idlib crisis; Northwestern Syria offensive (April 2019–present);
Website	https://twitter.com/jishalahrar

Jaysh al-Ahrar (Arabic: جيش الأحرار, lit. 'Army of the Free'), is an armed Salafi Islamist rebel group in northwestern Syria that originated as a clique composed of 16 units in Ahrar al-Sham that opposed involvement in Operation Euphrates Shield, after a fatwa was released by religious clerics in Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, which led to the group's separation from Ahrar al-Sham.^[4]

Most members of the group joined Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in January 2017. The founding leader of Jaysh al-Ahrar, Hashim al-Shaykh ("Abu Jaber") was appointed as the head of HTS. Jaysh al-Ahrar left HTS in September 2017, and have since then closely cooperated with both HTS and Ahrar al-Sham, as well as other rebel groups in the area.^[13]

^ "16 formations of Ahrar al-Sham unite under "Jaysh al-Ahrar"". Orient News. 21 December 2016.
^ "Number-Two man assassinated of "Jaish Al Ahrar" by unknown gunmen". Syria Call. 18 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 May 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Meet the leading leaders of the "National Liberation Front"". Enab Baladi. 1 August 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c Haid Haid (21 December 2016). "Why Ahrar al-Sham is fighting itself - and how this impacts the battle for Syria". Middle East Eye.
^ ^a ^b Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (7 January 2017). "Syrian Rebel Mergers: A Harakat Nour Al-Din Al-Zinki Perspective".
^ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DW0_6NjW0AAmymC.jpg ^{[bare URL image file]}
^ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DW_NU9JWsAE-sc1.jpg ^{[bare URL image file]}
^ "Jaish al-Ahrar: A New Crisis Threatens to Split Ahrar al-Sham". Syrian Observer. 5 January 2017.
^ "Jaish al-Ahrar leaves Tahrir al-Sham alliance: statement". Zaman al-Wasl. 14 September 2017.
^ ^a ^b "New FSA Operations Room To Repel Regime Attacks In Northern Syria". Revolutionary Forces of Syria Media Office. 4 February 2018.
^ Joško Barić. "Syrian War Daily – 20th of December 2017". Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
^ "Idlib Rebel Groups Unite Under New Joint Operations Room". Enab Baladi. 6 January 2018.
^ "Tahrir Al-Sham Shrinks to its First Core". Enab Baladi. 17 September 2017.

[orient-1] "16 formations of Ahrar al-Sham unite under "Jaysh al-Ahrar"". Orient News. 21 December 2016.

[assassinated-2] "Number-Two man assassinated of "Jaish Al Ahrar" by unknown gunmen". Syria Call. 18 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 May 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2018.

[meet-3] "Meet the leading leaders of the "National Liberation Front"". Enab Baladi. 1 August 2018.

[why-4] Haid Haid (21 December 2016). "Why Ahrar al-Sham is fighting itself - and how this impacts the battle for Syria". Middle East Eye.

[mergers-5] Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (7 January 2017). "Syrian Rebel Mergers: A Harakat Nour Al-Din Al-Zinki Perspective".

[6] ttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/DW0_6NjW0AAmymC.jpg ^{[bare URL image file]}

[7] ttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/DW_NU9JWsAE-sc1.jpg ^{[bare URL image file]}

[8] "Jaish al-Ahrar: A New Crisis Threatens to Split Ahrar al-Sham". Syrian Observer. 5 January 2017.

[9] "Jaish al-Ahrar leaves Tahrir al-Sham alliance: statement". Zaman al-Wasl. 14 September 2017.

[invaders-10] "New FSA Operations Room To Repel Regime Attacks In Northern Syria". Revolutionary Forces of Syria Media Office. 4 February 2018.

[11] Joško Barić. "Syrian War Daily – 20th of December 2017". Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2018-08-08.

[unite-12] "Idlib Rebel Groups Unite Under New Joint Operations Room". Enab Baladi. 6 January 2018.

[13] "Tahrir Al-Sham Shrinks to its First Core". Enab Baladi. 17 September 2017.

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