Descendants of Saladin Brigade

Descendants of Saladin Brigade
Descendants of Saladin Brigade
لواء أحفاد صلاح الدين; Liwa Ahfad Saladin
	A variant of the Syrian opposition flag used by Liwa Ahfad Saladin, in addition to the flag of Kurdistan and the regular independence flag
Leaders	Mahmoud Khallo (nom de guerre "Abu Hamza") (until July 2017); Masoud Ibo ("Abu al-Majd Komale") (spokesman); Mohammed Hawash (until March 2016; since July 2017);
Dates of operation	2015–July 2017 (main group); July 2017–present (pro-Turkey faction)
Headquarters	Azaz and Mare'
Active regions	Aleppo Governorate
Ideology	Democracy; Kurdish nationalism (faction)
Size	600 (2016)
Part of	Free Syrian Army 99th Division (2016); Hawar Kilis Operations Room
Allies	United States (faction, until late 2016); Kurdish National Council (faction); Turkey (pro-Afrin offensive faction, main group until July 2017);
Opponents	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant; Syrian Democratic Forces; Ahrar al-Sham (sometimes); Levant Front (anti-Afrin offensive faction, July 2017);
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Northern Aleppo offensive (March–April 2016); Syrian Kurdish-Islamist conflict (2013-present); Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War; Operation Euphrates Shield Northern al-Bab offensive (September 2016); Battle of al-Bab; ; Operation Olive Branch (pro-Turkey faction);

The Descendants of Saladin Brigade (Arabic: لواء أحفاد صلاح الدين; Liwa Ahfad Saladin) was a Free Syrian Army group active in the northern Aleppo Governorate. The group was supported by Turkey and was initially funded and armed by the United States,^[9] mainly fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant but also opposing the Syrian government and the Democratic Union Party's (PYD) affiliates such as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).^[1] The brigade was largely disbanded by the Turkish Army in 2017, following disagreements over the participation in a planned Turkish-led offensive against Afrin Canton,^[5] although a small faction within the group (known simply as Saladin Brigade) remained active and participated in the offensive since January 2018.^[6]^[3]

^ ^a ^b "Kurd turns on Kurd as Turkey backs new faction in Syria". Middle East Eye. 16 March 2016.
^ "ROUNDTABLE: Is the PYD the legitimate representative of Syrian Kurds?". Syria Direct. 28 January 2016.
^ ^a ^b Khaled al-Khateb (16 February 2018). "Kurdish fighters join Turkey's Afrin operation". al-Monitor. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
^ "Splits within the brigade of descendants of Salahuddin, and its military commander accused of a member of the coalition conspiring". Kobanî Kurd. 12 March 2016. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lars Hauch (5 July 2017). "Syria war: Turkey 'disbands rebel battalion' as alliances collapse". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c Ammar Hammou; Maria Nelson (5 February 2018). "Revolutionaries, pawns, liberators, or mercenaries? Meet the Kurdish fighters participating in Turkey's Afrin offensive". Syria Direct.
^ Cite error: The named reference direct was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Ömer Özkizilcik (2 December 2016). "Kurdish FSA commander in Syria: "The USA are responsible for the fail of the revolution"". Eurasia News.
^ ^a ^b ^c Mohammad Abdulssattar Ibrahim; Maria Nelso (23 August 2017). "'Afrin is a red line': Kurdish FSA commander loses his faction after refusing to fight". Syria:direct. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
^ Cite error: The named reference tensions was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[kurd-1] "Kurd turns on Kurd as Turkey backs new faction in Syria". Middle East Eye. 16 March 2016.

[pyd-2] "ROUNDTABLE: Is the PYD the legitimate representative of Syrian Kurds?". Syria Direct. 28 January 2016.

[join_operation-3] Khaled al-Khateb (16 February 2018). "Kurdish fighters join Turkey's Afrin operation". al-Monitor. Retrieved 17 February 2018.

[splits-4] "Splits within the brigade of descendants of Salahuddin, and its military commander accused of a member of the coalition conspiring". Kobanî Kurd. 12 March 2016. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2018.

[disbands-5] Lars Hauch (5 July 2017). "Syria war: Turkey 'disbands rebel battalion' as alliances collapse". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 5 July 2017.

[meet-6] Ammar Hammou; Maria Nelson (5 February 2018). "Revolutionaries, pawns, liberators, or mercenaries? Meet the Kurdish fighters participating in Turkey's Afrin offensive". Syria Direct.

[direct-7] Cite error: The named reference direct was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[usa-8] Ömer Özkizilcik (2 December 2016). "Kurdish FSA commander in Syria: "The USA are responsible for the fail of the revolution"". Eurasia News.

[red-9] Mohammad Abdulssattar Ibrahim; Maria Nelso (23 August 2017). "'Afrin is a red line': Kurdish FSA commander loses his faction after refusing to fight". Syria:direct. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2017.

[tensions-10] Cite error: The named reference tensions was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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Descendants of Saladin Brigade
لواء أحفاد صلاح الدين Liwa Ahfad Saladin
A variant of the Syrian opposition flag used by Liwa Ahfad Saladin, in addition to the flag of Kurdistan and the regular independence flag
Leaders	Mahmoud Khallo (nom de guerre "Abu Hamza")^[1] (until July 2017) Masoud Ibo ("Abu al-Majd Komale") (spokesman)^[2] Mohammed Hawash^[3] (until March 2016;^[4] since July 2017)
Dates of operation	2015–July 2017 (main group)^[5] July 2017–present (pro-Turkey faction)^[6]
Headquarters	Azaz and Mare'
Active regions	Aleppo Governorate
Ideology	Democracy^[7] Kurdish nationalism (faction)^[8]
Size	600 (2016)
Part of	Free Syrian Army 99th Division (2016) Hawar Kilis Operations Room
Allies	United States (faction, until late 2016)^[9] Kurdish National Council (faction) Turkey (pro-Afrin offensive faction,^[6] main group until July 2017)^[5]
Opponents	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Syrian Democratic Forces Ahrar al-Sham (sometimes)^[10] Levant Front (anti-Afrin offensive faction, July 2017)^[9]
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Northern Aleppo offensive (March–April 2016) Syrian Kurdish-Islamist conflict (2013-present) Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War Operation Euphrates Shield Northern al-Bab offensive (September 2016) Battle of al-Bab Operation Olive Branch (pro-Turkey faction)