Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades

Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades
Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades
ألوية أحفاد الرسول
	Official logo of the Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades
Leaders	Col. Ziad Haj Obaid (until September 2013); Saddam al-Jamal (until November 2013); Abu Mazin †;
Dates of operation	July 2012–early 2014 (defunct)
Active regions	Syria Idlib Governorate; Aleppo Governorate; Latakia Governorate; Raqqa Governorate; Hasakah Governorate; Rif Dimashq Governorate; Damascus Governorate; Daraa Governorate; Quneitra Governorate; Deir ez-Zor Governorate;
Ideology	Sunni Islamism Salafism (factions) Salafist jihadism (factions); ; Syrian nationalism (factions) Secularism (factions)
Size	7,000–9,000
Part of	Euphrates Islamic Liberation Front (2014); Supreme Military Council (2012–14); Free Syrian Army (2012)
Allies	Qatar; France (Allegedly); Kurdish Islamic Front (formerly); Ahrar ash-Sham; Al-Nusra Front (until August 2013); Ansar al-Islam; People's Protection Units (occasionally)
Opponents	Syria; Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (since August 2013); Al-Nusra Front (since August 2013); Ahrar al-Sham (2013); People's Protection Units (2012–14)
Battles and wars	Syrian civil war Raqqa campaign (2012–13); Battle of Ras al-Ayn (2012–13); Rojava–Islamist conflict; 2013 Latakia offensive; Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War;
	Succeeded by; *Idlib branch Syrian Revolutionaries Front Northern Aleppo branch: Army of Grandsons; Deir ez-Zor branch: 77th Division;

The Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades (Arabic: ألوية أحفاد الرسول Al-wiat Aḥfād ar-Rasūl, "Grandsons of the Prophet Brigades") was a Syrian rebel group fighting against the Syrian government in the Syrian Civil War. It was funded by the Qatari government.^[15]^[16]

^ ^a ^b O'Bagy, Elizabeth (24 March 2013). "The Free Syrian Army" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c Basma Atassi (17 December 2013). "Syrian fighter defects to Qaeda-linked group". Al Jazeera English.
^ Alice Martins (23 September 2013). "Watching Syrian Rebels Fight Among Themselves for the City of Raqqa". Vice.
^ Cite error: The named reference CEIP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Lund, Aron (27 August 2013). "The Non-State Militant Landscape in Syria". CTC Sentinel. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
^ ^a ^b "The end of the rebel alliance?". Al Jazeera English. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
^ "Alwiya Ahfaad ar-Rasool: A Growing Force in the Syrian Armed Opposition | Fair Observer°". Fairobserver.com. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
^ Brown Moses (31 December 2012). "Video Appears To Show A Syrian Army Soldier Executed By Ahfad al-Rasul Brigade For Heresy".
^ "Syria crisis: Guide to armed and political opposition". BBC. 13 December 2013.
^ "The new face of the Syrian rebellion". The Arab Chronicle. 5 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-25. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bill Roggio (26 July 2013). "Qatar-funded Syrian rebel brigade backs al Qaeda groups in Syria". Long War Journal.
^ "Syrian Kurds' struggle for autonomy threatens rebel effort to oust Assad". New York Times. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
^ "Bomb explosion hits security area of Damascus: activists". Reuters. 12 October 2012.
^ Barak Barfi (18 December 2013). "The Fractious Politics of Syria's Kurds". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
^ "The Structure and Organization of the Syrian Opposition". Center for American Progress. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
^ Basma Atassi (16 December 2013). "Syrian fighter defects to Qaeda-linked group - Features". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 19 May 2014.

[ISW-1] O'Bagy, Elizabeth (24 March 2013). "The Free Syrian Army" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 19 May 2014.

[defect-2] Basma Atassi (17 December 2013). "Syrian fighter defects to Qaeda-linked group". Al Jazeera English.

[vice-3] Alice Martins (23 September 2013). "Watching Syrian Rebels Fight Among Themselves for the City of Raqqa". Vice.

[CEIP-4] Cite error: The named reference CEIP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[ctc270813-5] Lund, Aron (27 August 2013). "The Non-State Militant Landscape in Syria". CTC Sentinel. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.

[aje15sept-6] "The end of the rebel alliance?". Al Jazeera English. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.

[7] "Alwiya Ahfaad ar-Rasool: A Growing Force in the Syrian Armed Opposition | Fair Observer°". Fairobserver.com. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2014.

[heresy-8] Brown Moses (31 December 2012). "Video Appears To Show A Syrian Army Soldier Executed By Ahfad al-Rasul Brigade For Heresy".

[9] "Syria crisis: Guide to armed and political opposition". BBC. 13 December 2013.

[10] "The new face of the Syrian rebellion". The Arab Chronicle. 5 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-25. Retrieved 21 May 2014.

[aq-11] Bill Roggio (26 July 2013). "Qatar-funded Syrian rebel brigade backs al Qaeda groups in Syria". Long War Journal.

[12] "Syrian Kurds' struggle for autonomy threatens rebel effort to oust Assad". New York Times. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.

[bomb-13] "Bomb explosion hits security area of Damascus: activists". Reuters. 12 October 2012.

[kurds-14] Barak Barfi (18 December 2013). "The Fractious Politics of Syria's Kurds". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

[CAP-15] "The Structure and Organization of the Syrian Opposition". Center for American Progress. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.

[16] Basma Atassi (16 December 2013). "Syrian fighter defects to Qaeda-linked group - Features". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 19 May 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]