Levante's Falcons ( Arabic: لواء صقور الشام , English Liwa Suqour Jabal ) is an armed Islamist insurgent group [2] , existing since 2011 [3] . Participates in the Civil War in Syria against the government forces of Bashar al-Assad [2] and against the militants of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization. The founder of the group is Ahmed Abu Issa [2] . It was a subdivision of the Islamic Front organization (IF), previously it was part of the Free Syrian Army (SSA) [4] and the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Syria (IFOS) [5] . Acted mainly in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo. In March 2015, it merged with another Islamist group - Ahrar al-Sham [6] [7] .
| Levant Falcons | |
|---|---|
| Sukur al-Sham | |
 Group emblem | |
| Is a part | Islamic front |
| Ideology | Islamism |
| Religious affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| The leaders | Ahmed Abu Issa Abu Hussein al-Dick † |
| Headquarters | Sarjah, Idlib Province , Syria |
| Active in | Syria |
| Date of formation | September 2011 |
| Was reorganized in | Ahrar al-Sham |
| Opponents | Syrian Armed Forces , ISIS |
| Number of members | 400 [1] (December 2014) |
| Conflict Engagement | Syrian Civil War :
|
The fighters of the group underwent military training under the leadership of American instructors in camps in Saudi Arabia and Qatar as part of the American program against the Islamic State (IS). She took part in repulsing the IS offensive in northern Syria near the Turkish border [3] .
In early October 2015, the forces of the group were hit by Russian aircraft . As a result, the ammunition depot in Aleppo was destroyed [3] .
Content
Background
The group was formed in September 2011 in the city of Sarjah (Idlib province, Syria). The leader was Ahmed Abu Issa. The new formation included both former soldiers of the government army of Bashar al-Assad and local volunteers who joined the rebellion against the Syrian government. The group had both a military and a civilian wing. The civilian unit was subordinate to the Shura Council, headed by Ahmed Abu Issa, and was engaged in the supply of weapons and food for the militants, and conducted propaganda work with the population. The military wing was formally independent, but at the same time actively collaborated with its civilian leadership [8] .
Initially, the group positioned itself as a unit of the Free Syrian Army (SSA) and recognized the Syrian National Council (SNA) as the "governing body of the Syrian revolution," but refused to directly obey it [9] . In September 2013, the Levant's Falcons (as well as a number of other rebel groups) refused to cooperate with the SNA [10] [11] , and in December of the same year they left the SSA [4] .
The positions of the group have significantly weakened after the start of an open confrontation between various factions of the rebels. So in February 2014, as a result of an ISIS attack, a militant field commander, Mohammed al-Dik, also known as Abu Hussein, was killed.
Activities
The Levant's Falcons began to play a prominent role in the conflict after they were joined by other rebel groups operating in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo. Despite the fact that these rebels recognized the leadership of the group, it was extremely difficult to control their actions - by June 2013 there were about 17 units in its composition [12] . Since its inception, the group has repeatedly raided the Syrian security forces. With the help of mined cars, militants carried out a series of terrorist attacks at government checkpoints. The captives drove the car in these, and the explosion itself was carried out remotely [13] . There were no reports of the use by the group of suicide bombers until July 2012 [9] .
Ideology
The Levant's Falcons was the most radical of the Islamic groups that were part of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Syria (IFOS) [12] . After breaking off relations with these factions and joining the Islamic Front (IF) in November 2013, the group abandoned the ideas of secularization and representative democracy. Instead, its members expressed their intention to create an Islamic state in Syria based on Sharia law [14] .
Notes
- ↑ Dick, Marlin Syrian rebel coalition announced . The Daily Star (December 1, 2014). Date of treatment December 1, 2014.
- ↑ 1 2 3 O'Bagy, Elizabeth. Middle East Security Report: Jihad in Syria . - Washington, DC, 2012. - Vol. 6. - P. 23.
- ↑ 1 2 3 "Russian Strikes in Syria Destroy US-trained Rebels' Weapons Depots"
- ↑ 1 2 Leading Syrian rebels defect, dealing blow to fight against al-Qaeda , Daily Telegraph (December 5, 2013). Date of treatment December 10, 2013.
- ↑ Syria's Islamist rebels join forces against Assad , Reuters (October 11, 2012). Date of treatment April 26, 2014.
- ↑ اندماج حركتي أحرار الشام وصقور الشام
- ↑ Islamist Mergers in Syria: Ahrar al-Sham Swallows Suqour al-Sham . Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (March 23, 2015). Date of treatment March 30, 2015.
- ↑ About Sham Falcons (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment June 27, 2015. Archived on August 18, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Rebel Groups in Jebel Al-Zawiyah Neopr . Institute for the Study of War.
- ↑ Syrian rebel groups reject SNC authority, call for Islamic leadership (September 25, 2013). Date of treatment October 21, 2013.
- ↑ Largest Syrian rebel groups form Islamic alliance, in possible blow to US influence (September 25, 2013). Date of treatment October 21, 2013.
- ↑ 1 2 Lund, Aron The Non-State Militant Landscape in Syria . CTC Sentinel (August 27, 2013). Date of treatment November 22, 2013.
- ↑ Syrian rebels releasing prisoners in bomb-rigged cars unopened (inaccessible link) . New York Daily News (21 June 2012). Date of treatment June 27, 2015. Archived June 28, 2012.
- ↑ New rebel alliance wants Syria as 'Islamic State' . AFP news agency (November 26, 2013). Date of treatment November 28, 2013.