Free Idlib Army

Free Idlib Army
Free Idlib Army
جيش إدلب الحر
Leaders	Top commanders, since July 2017: Col. Afif Suleiman (overall commander, since 2019); Lt. Col. Suhaib Leoush (overall commander, until 2019); Capt. Naji Mustafa (deputy commander); Capt. Dumar Qanatri (chief of staff); Other commanders: Lt. Col. Nasha'at Haj Ahmad (Mountain Hawks Brigade); Lt. Col. Ahmed al-Saud (13th Division); Former: Capt. Hassan Haj Ali (Mountain Hawks Brigade and overall commander, until July 2017)[better source needed]; Col. Ali al-Samahi † (chief of staff, assassinated in April 2017); 1st Lt. Mohamed Khalid Bayoush (Northern Division and alternate deputy commander, until July 2017); Lt. Col. Fares Bayoush (former Northern Division and deputy commander, resigned in January 2017); Amin Haj Ali † (field commander, killed in March 2019)[better source needed];
Dates of operation	19 September 2016 – present
Group(s)	Mountain Hawks Brigade; Northern Division; 13th Division; Saraqib Revolutionaries Front[better source needed];
Active regions	Northwestern Syria Idlib Governorate; Aleppo Governorate; Hama Governorate; Latakia Governorate;
Ideology	Syrian nationalism
Size	6,000 fighters (including 200 officers, late 2016);
Part of	Free Syrian Army Hawar Kilis Operations Room; National Front for Liberation; Fatah Halab (2016)
Allies	Sham Legion; Ahrar al-Sham; 21st Combined Force; Tahrir al-Sham (occasionally); Qatar; Saudi Arabia (2017); Turkey; United States (until July 2017);
Opponents	Syrian Arab Armed Forces; Islamic State; Syrian Democratic Forces; Jund al-Aqsa; (since 2017); Tahrir al-Sham (occasionally);
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War; Battle of Aleppo (2012–16) Aleppo offensive (September-October 2016); ; Turkish military intervention in the Syrian Civil War; Syrian Kurdish–Islamist conflict (2013–present); 2016 Hama offensive; Idlib Governorate clashes (2017); Hama offensive (March–April 2017); Hama offensive (September 2017); Northwestern Syria campaign (October 2017–February 2018);

The Free Idlib Army (Arabic: جيش إدلب الحر Jaysh ʾIdlib al-Ḥarr) is a Syrian rebel coalition consisting of 3 armed groups from northwestern Syria affiliated with the Free Syrian Army: the 13th Division, the Northern Division, and the Mountain Hawks Brigade^[17]

^ "Free Idlib Army is making adjustments at the level of the chief of staff". Al-Etihad Press. 11 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
^ "HTS arrested Colonel Afif Suleiman, commander of the so-called "Free Army of Idlib"". RûMaf. 1 August 2019.
^ "جيش إدلب الحر (@free_idleb_army) - Twitter".
^ "Free Idlib Army is Close to Form … Learn its main factions". El-Dorar. 20 September 2016. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
^ "New rebel group formed in Idlib". Al-Masdar News. 20 September 2016. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
^ "Activists: Sham Liberation Army assassinated a senior commander of Idlib Free (Photos)". Arabi 21. 5 April 2017.
^ "Najat leader of the free Idlib Jaish Albyosh an assassination attempt Brive Idlib". Al-Etihad Press. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
^ "The resignation of a leader of the «army Idlib free» to face the «black banners of cross-border»". Al-Hayat. 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
^ "Syria rebels form Free Idlib Army". Now News. 23 September 2016. Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
^ "Free Idlib Army's Field commander Amin Haj Ali has been killed tonight in IED blast in Kafransa (Jebal Zawiyah, S. Idlib)". 7 March 2019.
^ "The commander of the Free Idlib army, Amin Haj Ali, was killed by an explosive device in his car at a petrol station in the town of Kanafra in Jabal al Zawiya south of Idlib Kansafra, Idlib Governorate".
^ "Jabhat Thuwar Saraqib today joined Free Idlib Army". 16 January 2018.
^ Abdul Rahman al-Masri (3 May 2017). "Analysis: The Free Idlib Army's Role in the U.S. Battle Against Al-Qaida in Syria". Syria Deeply.
^ "FSA in Idlib… A new launch towards unified military action". RFS Media Office. 20 September 2016.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Russian raid kills 22 fighters from the Free Army in Hama". Feda News. 24 September 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
^ "11 FSA Factions in New Command in of "National Front Liberation"". Syria Call. 28 May 2018. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
^ Alwsl, Zaman (August 23, 2016). "Syria rebels form Free Idlib Army". Zaman Alwsl | جريدة زمان الوصل. Retrieved November 11, 2023.

[staff-1] "Free Idlib Army is making adjustments at the level of the chief of staff". Al-Etihad Press. 11 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.

[arrested-2] "HTS arrested Colonel Afif Suleiman, commander of the so-called "Free Army of Idlib"". RûMaf. 1 August 2019.

[free_idleb_army-3] "جيش إدلب الحر (@free_idleb_army) - Twitter".

[learn-4] "Free Idlib Army is Close to Form … Learn its main factions". El-Dorar. 20 September 2016. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.

[masdar-5] "New rebel group formed in Idlib". Al-Masdar News. 20 September 2016. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.

[assassination-6] "Activists: Sham Liberation Army assassinated a senior commander of Idlib Free (Photos)". Arabi 21. 5 April 2017.

[najat-7] "Najat leader of the free Idlib Jaish Albyosh an assassination attempt Brive Idlib". Al-Etihad Press. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.

[resign-8] "The resignation of a leader of the «army Idlib free» to face the «black banners of cross-border»". Al-Hayat. 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.

[now-9] "Syria rebels form Free Idlib Army". Now News. 23 September 2016. Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2016.

[commander-10] "Free Idlib Army's Field commander Amin Haj Ali has been killed tonight in IED blast in Kafransa (Jebal Zawiyah, S. Idlib)". 7 March 2019.

[amin-11] "The commander of the Free Idlib army, Amin Haj Ali, was killed by an explosive device in his car at a petrol station in the town of Kanafra in Jabal al Zawiya south of Idlib Kansafra, Idlib Governorate".

[12] "Jabhat Thuwar Saraqib today joined Free Idlib Army". 16 January 2018.

[13] Abdul Rahman al-Masri (3 May 2017). "Analysis: The Free Idlib Army's Role in the U.S. Battle Against Al-Qaida in Syria". Syria Deeply.

[rfs-14] "FSA in Idlib… A new launch towards unified military action". RFS Media Office. 20 September 2016.^{[permanent dead link]}

[raid-15] "Russian raid kills 22 fighters from the Free Army in Hama". Feda News. 24 September 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.

[call-16] "11 FSA Factions in New Command in of "National Front Liberation"". Syria Call. 28 May 2018. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.

[17] Alwsl, Zaman (August 23, 2016). "Syria rebels form Free Idlib Army". Zaman Alwsl | جريدة زمان الوصل. Retrieved November 11, 2023.

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Free Idlib Army
جيش إدلب الحر

Leaders	Top commanders, since July 2017:^[1] Col. Afif Suleiman (overall commander, since 2019)^[2] Lt. Col. Suhaib Leoush (overall commander, until 2019) Capt. Naji Mustafa (deputy commander) Capt. Dumar Qanatri (chief of staff) Other commanders: Lt. Col. Nasha'at Haj Ahmad (Mountain Hawks Brigade)^[3] Lt. Col. Ahmed al-Saud (13th Division)^[4] Former: Capt. Hassan Haj Ali (Mountain Hawks Brigade and overall commander, until July 2017)^[5]^{[better source needed]} Col. Ali al-Samahi † (chief of staff, assassinated in April 2017)^[6] 1st Lt. Mohamed Khalid Bayoush (Northern Division and alternate deputy commander, until July 2017)^[7] Lt. Col. Fares Bayoush (former Northern Division and deputy commander, resigned in January 2017)^[8]^[9] Amin Haj Ali † (field commander, killed in March 2019)^[10]^[11]^{[better source needed]}
Dates of operation	19 September 2016 – present
Group(s)	Mountain Hawks Brigade Northern Division 13th Division Saraqib Revolutionaries Front^[12]^{[better source needed]}
Active regions	Northwestern Syria Idlib Governorate Aleppo Governorate Hama Governorate Latakia Governorate
Ideology	Syrian nationalism^[13]
Size	6,000 fighters (including 200 officers, late 2016)^[14]^[15]
Part of	Free Syrian Army Hawar Kilis Operations Room National Front for Liberation^[16] Fatah Halab (2016)
Allies	Sham Legion Ahrar al-Sham 21st Combined Force Tahrir al-Sham (occasionally) Qatar Saudi Arabia (2017) Turkey United States (until July 2017)
Opponents	Syrian Arab Armed Forces Islamic State Syrian Democratic Forces Jund al-Aqsa (since 2017) Tahrir al-Sham (occasionally)
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War Battle of Aleppo (2012–16) Aleppo offensive (September-October 2016) Turkish military intervention in the Syrian Civil War Syrian Kurdish–Islamist conflict (2013–present) 2016 Hama offensive Idlib Governorate clashes (2017) Hama offensive (March–April 2017) Hama offensive (September 2017) Northwestern Syria campaign (October 2017–February 2018)