Active terrorist groups in Syria

“In 1979, the United States designated Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, putting it on its first-ever such list along with Libya, Iraq, and former South Yemen. Syria is the last country from this original list to remain so designated today.”[1]

Al Qaeda:

 Al Qaeda (AQ) is one of the most effective terrorist groups in the world, with an extended history and an international reach. It consists of a core group of operatives and management in large part primarily based totally in Pakistan and Afghanistan and continues relationships with numerous associate organizations across the world. AQ and its associates were liable for a number of the deadliest terrorist assaults in the past twenty-five years. "The group was founded by Osama bin Laden on August 11, 1988, after he had gained experience training and organizing opposition against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan."[2] "Al Qaeda emerged from the mujahideen movement that challenged the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan beginning in the late 1970s."[3] Osama bin Laden came to Afghanistan to join the fighting in 1980. The most considerable result of the Arab Spring for Al Qaeda has been the growth of Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), which harnessed the Syrian civil conflict to develop dramatically in length and power. AQI changed its name to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and introduced a merger with the new AQ-associate Jabhat al-Nusra, which operated withinside the Syrian civil war with the assist of AQI/ISIS.

Islamic State (ISIS):

"The Islamic State (IS) – also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) – is a Salafi-Jihadist militant organization that operates primarily in Syria and Iraq."[4] Since its formation in 2013, ISIS has been prompted to preserve a self-declared caliphate in western Iraq and eastern Syria. In October 2017, U.S. subsidized forces concluded a successful campaign to force ISIS out of its declared capital in Raqqa, Syria. ISIS stays in control of an area close to Albu Kamal, surrounded by government forces westward and Kurdish forces in the east. While the obvious military defeat of ISIS is heralded by a few as a hopeful indicator of stability, ISIS nonetheless manages to reaffirm its presence in Syria. Despite losing the maximum of its territorial control, ISIS has increasingly resorted to suicide assaults to reaffirm its capacity to strike and wreak havoc anywhere, specifically in regime-managed areas. As of 2020, the consensus amongst U.S. military strategists became that IS, even in its considerably decreased form, stays a problem of paramount importance. The organization maintains to pose a direct risk to local governments.

Al-Nusra Front/Jabhat Fateh al-Sham/Hayat Tahrir al-Sham:

Jabhat al-Nusra (Al-Nusra), is a Sunni opposition group that targets to overthrow the Assad Regime and set up an Islamic Emirate in Syria. The group targets the Assad Regime, Shiite forces and the U.S sponsored forces in eleven of Syria’s thirteen governorates and has performed operations in Lebanon’s Bekka Valley. Al-Nusra was formed in late 2011 whilst Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) emir Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi despatched AQI operative Abu Muhammad al-Julani to Syria to arrange local jihadist cells. At its inception, Al-Nusra started out harbouring the Khorasan Group, a cell of about a dozen skilled Al Qaeda (AQ) jihadists who had been despatched to Syria by valuable AQ leadership to expand global terror plots. However, Al-Nusra started out targeting the Islamic State (IS, previously AQI) in January 2014 amid growing tensions among IS and the Sunni opposition forces. Additionally, in July 2016, Al-Nusra ended its association with Al Qaeda (AQ) and changed its name to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (The Front for the Conquest of the Levant). Throughout the conflict, the organization has sought to forge itself as an irreplaceable military ally for opposition forces and has a longstanding military partnership with Ahrar al-Sham. On 28 January 2017, numerous Salafist jihadist groups, which include Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, agreed upon a merger agreement, ensuing in the formation of a new organization known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham ("Organization for the Liberation of the Levant"). On 1 March, it was mentioned that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham intensified its campaign against an al-Qaeda associate in Idlib.

Ahrar al-Sham:

Ahrar al-Sham additionally referred to as Harakat Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya, or the Islamic Movement of the Free Men of the Levant is a Sunni Salafist militant organization set up in late 2011 that targets to replace the Assad Regime with an Islamic government. The organization operates all through Syria however concentrates its assaults in the north and west of the country. From its inception in 2011 till past due 2013, Ahrar al-Sham cooperated with the Islamic State (IS) and launched a successful campaign to get rid of the Syrian military from Raqqa. However, Ahrar al-Sham and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, previously called Jabhat al-Nusra (Al-Nusra), started out targeting IS after it killed an Ahrar al-Sham member in January 2014. From 2014 thru 2015, Ahrar al-Sham reinforced its alliance with Al-Nusra through coordinating assaults in opposition to the Syrian military and through developing the Jaysh al-Fatah umbrella organization to pressure the Syrian military out of Idlib province in 2015. Around 2,000 fighters in Ahrar al-Sham came from Hama. After its defeat in Idlib by Tahrir al-Sham in July 2017, territorial control by Ahrar al-Sham is limited to the al-Ghab Plain, Mount Zawiya, Ariha, and numerous villages in the western Aleppo Governorate. and the northeastern Latakia Governorate.

The Southern Front:

The Southern Front was established on February 13, 2014, to consolidate the command structure and military operations of 49 southern opposition brigades attempting to overthrow the Assad Regime. The Southern Front is a self-described moderate opposition group and is active in the Quneitra, Daraa, Sweida, and Damascus governorates where it often uses guerilla tactics to combat the Syrian army. Throughout 2014, the Southern Front cooperated with former Al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra (Al-Nusra), despite tense relations between the two groups. However, the group officially severed ties with Al-Nusra on April 14, 2015, in a statement criticizing Al-Nusra’s ideology. On 18 June 2018, the organization was hit by "Operation Basalt", a pro-Syrian government offensive in Quneitra and Daraa province. By 23 July the forces of the Southern Front were fully defeated and lost all territory that was under their control. Surrendering fighters agreed to either reconciliation deals or were relocated to Idlib. Many of the "reconciled" fighters have gone on to participate in the Daraa insurgency, starting on 23 November 2018 (including the March 2020 Daraa clashes).

Al Fawj al Awl:  

Al Fawj al Awl is a small but powerful Aleppo-based group that is active on almost every major front line in Aleppo Province. It is a splinter from the powerful Islamist group in Aleppo Liwa al-Tawhid and has high levels of local support and legitimacy in the northern Aleppo countryside. Al-Fawj Al-Awl is a Syrian opposition group that formed on March 3, 2015, when its 1,500 fighters broke away from Liwa al-Tawhid, a constituent brigade within the Levantine Front. The group operates in the Aleppo province, where it has fought against the Assad Regime and the Islamic State. It has conducted military exercises with former Al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, and has worked with Ahrar al-Sham as part of the Jaysh Halab umbrella organization since February 2016. Al-Fawj Al-Awl’s leadership includes Khaled Kengo, Amer Hamouda, and Abu Assad, a military commander who is known for tunnel bombing the Syrian army.

Jaysh al-Islam:

Jaysh al Islam became the second-biggest Salafi Jihadist competition faction in Syria and continues local associates throughout seven of Syria’s western Provinces. Jaysh al Islam became most outstanding in Damascus where it lead joint military and governance structures. It had led the High Negotiations Committee’s delegation to Geneva. The organization was formed in 2013 via a merger of approximately fifty Damascus-based opposition groups and was initially led by former Liwa al-Islam commander Zahran Alloush. The organization operates in the Homs, Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Daraa, and Quneitra governorates, and became an active member of the Islamic Front umbrella agency till the Islamic Front dissolved in 2014. Jaysh al-Islam opposes the Islamic State (IS) and has been fighting the organization since July 2014 whilst it first ousted IS from Eastern Ghouta in Damascus. Jaysh al-Islam has additionally had a tense relationship with former Al Qaeda associate Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, previously referred to as Jabhat al-Nusra (Al-Nusra), ever since Al-Nusra rejected the authority of Jaysh al-Islam’s Unified Judiciary Council court system. Through late 2015 and early 2016, Jaysh al-Islam’s deteriorating ties with Al-Nusra and a chain of different controversies have fueled political unrest in Eastern Ghouta.

On 12 April 2018, some 13,000 Jaysh al-Islam combatants with their households have evacuated the city of Douma in buses, therefore surrendering that city to the Assad government. Jaysh combatants and their households have relocated in northern Syria, in the countryside of Aleppo, where they function under the Turkish-sponsored Syrian National Army

The Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union:

The Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union is a group made out of 5 Damascus-based opposition brigades (The al-Habib al-Mustafa Brigades, The Ajnad al-Islam Gathering, The Sahaba Brigades and Battalions, The Shabab al-Houda Battalions, and The Der al-Isima Brigade) that was formed in February 2014. The organization is led by Abu Mohammed al-Fateh, the previous chief of The Shabab al-Houda Battalions, and claimed that it had 15,000 combatants in 2014. The Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union fights the Islamic State and the Assad Regime across the Damascus governorate and is a part of an opposition campaign to retain control of the Darayya suburb in the metropolis of Damascus. The organization was first of all allied with Jaysh al-Islam—the biggest rebellion organization in eastern Ghouta (at that time) —with Islamic Union chief Abu Muhammad al-Fatah being the deputy of Jaysh al-Islam chief Zahran Alloush in the Unified Military Command of Eastern Ghouta. After the completion of the Beit Jinn offensive in January 2018 and the Southern Damascus offensive in the subsequent month, Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union presence was, in addition, decreased to a single pocket withinside the southern outskirt of Damascus. In May 2018, the last individuals evacuated to Idlib. Following the evacuation, the organizations ceased to be active.

Failaq al-Rahman or the al-Rahman Legion: Faylaq al Rahman is one of the oldest standing opposition factions in Damascus and maintains high levels of local legitimacy and support. It grew considerably stronger in early 2016 following a merger with Ajnad al-Sham in Eastern Ghouta.  Faylaq al-Rahman is a Damascus-based opposition group that is led by former Syrian army captain Abdul Nasr Shamir, and that opposes the Islamic State and the Assad Regime. The group was founded in 2013 and became the second most prominent opposition force in the Damascus governorate after a merger with the Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union’s Eastern Ghouta fighters. In April 2016, Faylaq al-Rahman began fighting Jaysh al-Islam when relations between the groups deteriorated after Jaysh al-Islam allegedly attempted to assassinate a member of the Unified Judiciary Council, which is the court system that settles disputes between militant groups and between civilians in Damascus. In May 2016, the groups agreed to a ceasefire at a conference in Qatar. In February 2018, government forces launched a large-scale offensive to recapture eastern Ghouta from rebel groups, including the Rahman Legion. A convoy of more than 5,400 rebel fighters and civilians departed the pocket on 25 March, reaching northwestern Syria the next day.

Hezbollah:

Iranian-subsidized Islamist Group, indexed by the U.S.as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, involved on behalf of the Syrian Regime since 2013. Hezbollah and Iran plan to stay in Syria till it is “completely liberated from terrorists”. During the Syrian Civil War, Hezbollah acted as one of Assad’s greatest allies and supplied thousands of troops for the regime. Hezbollah played a crucial role in the Aleppo attack in 2016, assisting Assad forces in retaking control of Aleppo. After Assad’s victory, Hezbollah started establishing cells and militias in the region. It has also formed new militias by recruiting hundreds of local Syrian men. Most recently it played a key role in the “Operation Spring Shield” in March 2020.

Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH): also known as the Hezbollah Brigades, is a Shiite Iraqi insurgent group in Iraq and Syria that was founded in 2007. The group is led by Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and receives large amounts of training, logistical support, and weapons from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). From 2007-2011, KH directed the majority of its attacks against U.S.-Coalition forces in Iraq and was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. on July 2, 2009. Following the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq in 2011, KH sent large numbers of its fighters to Syria to fight alongside Hezbollah and the Assad government. KH has also deployed its troops in Iraq to fight the Islamic State (IS) and is a member of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of Shiite militant groups fighting IS in Iraq. On 25 June 2020, Iraqi security forces raided the Kata'ib Hezbollah base in Dora, southern Baghdad and detained at least 14 militia members. In March 2020, the U.S. launched air raids against Kata'ib Hezbollah facilities in Karbala in retaliation for the 2020 Camp Taji attacks. On 11 October 2020, Kata'ib Hezbollah announced that they have agreed to ceasefire operations against United States interests in Iraq. On 26 February 2021, U.S. airstrikes hit targets used by the KH militia and other Iranian-backed groups in Syria. These strikes were carried out in retaliation for an attack on a U.S. airbase in Erbil on 15 February 2021.

Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki:

Harakat Nour al-Din al Zenki Harakat Nour al-Din al Zenki is a powerful independent faction in Aleppo whose participation is often a requirement for success in the opposition’s military operations. the group was formed in late 2011 by religious leader Sheikh Tawfiq Shahabuddin. The group was briefly a member of Liwa al-Tawhid, the Islamic Front in Aleppo, and an anti-Islamic State umbrella group known as the Mujahedeen Army in 2014. Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki later operated as an independent group and received funding from Saudi Arabia and the United States. Within Aleppo, Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki worked closely with former Al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (Fatah al-Sham), formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, despite an outbreak of violence between the two groups in 2015. In 2016, the group was accused of a series of war crimes including abducting and torturing journalists and decapitating an adolescent boy. After the merger, followed by separation and defeat with Tahrir al-Sham, in 2019. "On 25 March 2019, the group announced its dissolution and that the remaining elements would be integrated into the Syrian National Army's Third Legion and would be merged with the Glory Corps."[5] "In late January 2020, former Zenki fighters part of the Glory Corps had entered the western Aleppo countryside which was formerly the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement's stronghold until being ousted by HTS, to defend the area from pro-government advances."[6]

The country has become an experimental lab for many terrorist groups and it might further aggravate instability in the region.

Notes

[1] Nate Rosenblatt, Does treating Syria as a State Sponsor of Terrorism advance or hold back US national security interests?, September 7, 2021, Available at https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/commentary/article/does-treating-syria-as-a-state-sponsor-of-terrorism-advance-or-hold-back-us-national-security-interests/ 

[2] Mapping Militant Organizations. “Al Qaeda.” Stanford University. Last modified January 2019. https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/mappingmilitants/profiles/al-qaeda 

[3] 9/11 Commission Report: The Official Report of the 9/11 Commission and Related Publications. Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O., 2004. 55. 

[4] Bunzel, Cole. “From Paper State to Caliphate: The Ideology of the Islamic State.” The Brookings Institution, March 9, 2015. 4.

[5]https://nedaa-sy.com/news/12516 

[6] https://www.enabbaladi.net/archives/359254

Pic Courtesy-Ahmed Almakhzanji at unsplash.com

(the views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)