The 13th Division () was a Syrian rebel group sanctioned by the

Syrian National Council The Syrian National Council (SNC), sometimes known as the Syrian National Transitional Council or the National Council of Syria, was a Syrian opposition coalition, based in Istanbul, Turkey, formed in August 2011 during the Syrian civil upris ...

. It was among the first armed Syrian opposition groups to receive U.S.-made

BGM-71 TOW The BGM-71 TOW ("Tube-launched, Optically tracked, wire-guided missile, Wire-guided", pronounced ) is an American anti-tank missile. TOW replaced much smaller missiles like the SS.10 and ENTAC, offering roughly twice the effective range, a more ...

anti-tank missiles. According to a spokesperson for the FSA's Supreme Military Council, the 13th Division was funded by sources within

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

and

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

History

The 13th Division originated in March 2012 under the name of the "Slaves of Mercy Brigade" and grew that year to 1,000 men according to its leader Lt. Col. Ahmad al-Saoud, who defected from the

Syrian Army The Syrian Army is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. Up until the fall of the Assad regime, the Syrian Arab Army existed as a land force branch of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, which dominanted the military service of the fo ...

. In 2013 the group was incorporated into the

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA; ) is a Big tent, big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition (2011–2024), Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29 July 2011 by Colonel Riad al-Asaad and six officers who defe ...

as the 13th Division. In December 2013,

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

(ISIL) overran a Division 13 base in

Kafr Nabl Kafr Nabl (, also spelled Kafranbel or Kafr Nabil) is a town administratively belonging to the Idlib Governorate and Ma'arrat al-Numan District in northwestern Syria. It is situated above sea level. In the 2004 census by the Syrian Central Bur ...

, seizing ammunition and weaponry. This came after a history of clashes between the two groups. The following day, Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad al-Sa'oud was ambushed and captured in Taftanaz by ISIL while he was trying to negotiate for their return. He was released after two weeks. The group is currently fighting the Syrian government and ISIL. The group fought in Khan al-Asal, the Rashideen neighbourhood, and the Research Sciences Centre in

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

. In Idlib and Hama Governorates, the 13th Division fought at Mork, Khan Shaykhun, Heish, Qumeis, Baboulin, Wadi Al-Deif military base and Al-Hamdiyyeh military base. On 6 May 2015, along with 13 other Aleppo-based groups, joined the Fatah Halab joint operations room. On 18 September 2016 one of the 13th Division commanders, Abdul Karim Alito, was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

during the 2016 al-Bab offensive. On 19 September 2016, the 13th Division, along with the Mountain Hawks Brigade and the Northern Division, formed the

Free Idlib Army The Free Idlib Army ( ''Jaysh ʾIdlib al-Ḥarr'') was a Syrian rebel coalition consisting of 3 armed groups from northwestern Syria affiliated with the Free Syrian Army: the 13th Division (Syrian rebel group), 13th Division, the Northern Divisio ...

. As a result of internal disputes between the 13th Division and the other factions in the Free Idlib Army, some members of the former reportedly released a statement on 11 April 2017 which claimed that the 13th Division will no longer be part of the Free Idlib Army and it will instead join the "central operations room" led by Col. Fadlallah al-Haji of the

Sham Legion The Sham Legion (, ''Faylaq al-Shām'' lit. Levant Legion) was an alliance of Sunni Islamist rebel groups formed in March 2014, during the Syrian Civil War. The alliance was formed from 19 different groups, some of which were previously affil ...

. This was denied by Lt. Col. Ahmed al-Assad, the overall commander of the 13th Division, who called the statement a "false report". Al-Saud called on all the member groups of the FIA to integrate under one organization.

Clashes with al-Qaeda

In November 2014, the 13th Division and the

al-Nusra Front Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist Syria, Ba'athist ...

clashed in Jabal Zawiya as part of the al-Nusra Front-SRF/Hazzm Movement conflict. Al-Nusra reportedly declared war on rebel factions receiving Western military support. However, fighting between the two groups soon ceased because the 13th Division "did not wanted to share the same fate as the Hazzm Movement", which was defeated and dissolved by al-Nusra. On 13 March 2016, the al-Nusra Front and

Jund al-Aqsa Jund al-Aqsa ( ''Jund al-‘Aqṣā'', "Soldiers of al-Aqsa"), known as Liwa al-Aqsa after 7 February 2017, was a Salafist jihadist organization that was active during the Syrian Civil War. Formerly known as Sarayat al-Quds, the group was founde ...

seized the headquarters of the 13th Division after an overnight battle for control of

Maarrat al-Nu'man Maarat al-Numan (), also known as al-Ma'arra, is a city in northwestern Syria, south of Idlib and north of Hama, with a population of about 58,008 before the Civil War (2004 census). In 2017, it was estimated to have a population of 80,000, inc ...

. Division 13 was involved in a truce with the Syrian army since February 27. Several fighters have deserted before the conflict with the Nusra began. Division 13 has confirmed that al-Nusra and Jund al-Aqsa captured all of their weapons. According to social media activists in support of the Syrian opposition, Jabhat al-Nusra attacked Division 13 after local demonstrations used the Syrian independence flag, rather than the black flag of jihad. According to a report released by the Free Syrian Army, Jabhat al-Nusra and Jund al-Aqsa attacked their bases in Ma'arat al-Nu'man, killing 4 of their combatants and wounding as many as 20 others during a fierce battle between the groups. The Division 13 members stated that they could not hold their ground against al-Qaeda militants, so they surrendered two of their storage facilities that allegedly stored U.S. manufactured TOW anti-tank missiles as well as seizing armored vehicles, a tank, and other arms. Experts have stated that ultimately, "There will be localized clashes, but not necessarily full-blown civil war. In Maarat al-Numan it's easier to take on Nusra as Division 13 is stronger and there isn't a Jaysh al-Fatah administration". On 18 July 2016, the al-Nusra Front was accused of kidnapping Zaher al-Ahmad, the commander of the division's 56th Infantry Brigade en route from Maarat al-Numan to Aleppo. On 30 September, Ahmad al-Sa'oud openly threatened al-Nusra on

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

that the 13th Division has "no choice" but to "take revenge for the blood of its members", accusing people of "spreading lies and fabricating charges" against the 13th Division in order to ignite conflict. On 5 April 2017, a vehicle carrying Lt. Col. Ahmad al-Saud and

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Ali al-Samahi, the

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the

and formerly a commander in the 13th Division, came under fire from

Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was a Sunni Islamist political organisation and paramilitary group involved in the Syrian civil war. It was formed on 28January 2017 as a merger between several armed groups: Jaysh al-Ahrar (an Ahrar al-Sham facti ...

fighters at a checkpoint near Khan al-Subul, which was under complete control of Tahrir al-Sham. Al-Samahi and another fighter was killed in the shootout while al-Saud was wounded and was transferred to Turkey for treatment. From 6 to 8 June, clashes broke out between Tahrir al-Sham and Sham Legion in

. The 13th Division and the Free Police joined the fighting on 8 June. By the evening of 8 June, HTS captured both the 13th Division and the Sham Legion's headquarters in Maarat al-Nu'man and killed Col. Tayser al-Samahi, the brother of Col. Ali al-Samahi and the head of the Free Police in the town. On 9 June, Tahrir al-Sham announced the completion of their operations against the FSA and took full control of the town. Later that day, a ceasefire agreement was signed between the Free Idlib Army and Tahrir al-Sham in the town and the latter ordered the 13th Division to be disbanded.

Strength, structure

In March 2014, the 13th Division counted 1,800 men according to its leader Ahmad al-Saoud, split into 10 companies, with another 200 in support roles.

References

External links

Official account of the 13th Division head Lt. Col. Ahmad al-Saud
on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

Official account of the 13th Division
on

{{Syrian Civil War Anti-Assad factions of the Syrian civil war Anti-ISIL factions in Syria Free Syrian Army Military units and formations established in 2013

History

Clashes with al-Qaeda

Strength, structure

See also

References

External links