Ahrar al-Sham

The group was founded by Sunni political prisoners held in Sednaya Damask Prison until their release under the amnesty in May 2011 ^[12] . At the end of 2011, Ahrar al-Sham numbered about 25 detachments distributed throughout Syria. Subsequently, the number of units increased, in July 2012 there were 50, and in mid-January 2013 - already 83 ^[13] . Most of the headquarters of these units are located in the villages of Idlib Vilayat, although many of them are located in Hama and Aleppo . The participants in the heavy fighting are mainly the Kouafil al-Shuhad (Shahid Caravans), Ansarul-Haqq (Justice Defenders) brigades in Khan Sheikhun, Idlib Vilayat, Kataib al-Taukhid al-Iman (Monotheism and Faith brigades) in Maarrat an -Nuaman, Vilayat Idlib, kataib al-Shahbai (gray brigades, gray - the epithet of the city of Aleppo) in Aleppo, brigades of Hassan bin Sabat in Darat Azza, Vilayat Aleppo, Salahud-Din (salvation of religion) and the brigade of Abul-Fidaa (father of atonement) in Hama ^[14] .

In his first video address, Ahrar al-Sham stated that his goal was the overthrow of the Assad government and the establishment of an Islamic state in Syria, but they recognized that the immediate needs of the population should be taken into account. The uprising was compared to jihad against General Safavi , who was trying to establish a Shiite state from Iran through Iraq and Syria, and then in Lebanon and Palestine ^[15] .

Ahrar al-Sham indirectly cooperates with secular opposition movements ( SSA ), but does not maintain relations with the Syrian national coalition ^[15] . The movement collaborates with other Islamic groups, while maintaining its clear structure and secrecy. Most of the funding comes from donors from Kuwait ^{[16] [17]} .

Ahrar al-Sham has leadership in Syria and emphasizes that the movement is based specifically for Syria, and not for global jihad ^[18] . According to the movement, the targets of operations are government troops and Shabih , and some of these operations were canceled for fear of large casualties among the civilian population ^[19] .

As of December 2016, Ahrar al-Sham includes more than 80 units with a total number of about 16 thousand people. On December 29, 2016, the group joined the armistice regime initiated by Russia on December 30, 2016 ^[20] .

Ahrar al-Sham is responsible for the release of NBC journalist Richard Engel and his crew who traveled with a group of anti-government fighters and were detained by troops controlled by the Syrian government ^[21] (later, on April 15, 2015, NBC itself refused this version, concluding that the abductors belonged to a Sunni armed group that was not associated with Shiite pro-government groups, including based on reports from The New York Times ^[22] ). In December 2012, a new coalition called the “Syrian Islamic Front” was announced. Of the 11 organizations that were united in this coalition, Ahrar al-Sham was the largest, and Ahrar al-Sham Abu Abdarrahman al-Suri became the official representative of the front ^[23] . In January 2013, some of the Syrian Islamic Front member organizations announced that they had joined forces with Ahrar al-Sham into a larger group called Harakat Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiya .

On September 9, 2014, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device during a meeting of the Ahrar al-Sham command in Idlib . The explosion killed at least 45 people, including the leader of the group, Hassan Abud, and another 27 field commanders ^{[24] [25]} . No one took responsibility for the attack, although earlier (February 23 of the same year), ISIS militants made a similar attack on Ahrar al-Sham commanders ^[26] .

On November 6, 2014, Ahrar al-Sham became the fourth Islamic group in Syria, whose positions were subjected to US air strikes ^[27] .

• Army of conquest
• Islamic Heritage Revival Society