Abdullah Awda (), also known by his ''

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

'' Abu Zeid, was a rebel leader in northern

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

during the earlier stages of the Syrian Civil War. He was the leader of the

Hazzm Movement The Hazzm Movement (, ''Ḥarakat Ḥazzm'', meaning ''Movement of Steadfastness'') was an alliance of Syrian rebel groups affiliated with the Free Syrian Army in northwestern Syria that existed from 25 January 2014 until 1 March 2015, when many ...

, part of 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 ...

Biography

Abdullah Awda held the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the

Syrian Arab Army The Syrian Arab Armed Forces (SAAF; ) were the combined armed forces of Syria from 1963 to 2024. They served during the rule of the Ba'ath Party in Syria. The SAAF consisted of the Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Air D ...

(675th Battalion, 87th Brigade, 11th Division) when he defected in 2011 and subsequently joined the Free Officers Movement during the Syrian Civil War. He later became the leader of Farouq al-Shamal Battalions, who joined the

Syrian Revolutionaries Front The Syrian Revolutionaries Front (, ''Jabhat Thowar Suriya'', SRF, also translated Syrian Rebel Front) was an alliance of 14 relatively moderate religious and some secular armed groups fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, formed in ...

in December 2013. From 2014, Awda commanded the US-backed

in its fight against the

Islamic State 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 jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

. In January 2015, 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 ...

attacked the Hazzm Movement in northern Aleppo countryside, forcing it to dissolve. Awda, together with other rebel leaders, fled to

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and went in

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

. On 16 December 2016, Awda and other leaders of groups ousted by al-Nusra declared their willingness to return to Syria. Their statement was handwritten and signed by Awda,

Jamal Maarouf Jamal Maarouf () was one of the most powerful Syrian opposition to Bashar al-Assad, rebel leaders in northern Syria during the earlier stages of the Syrian Civil War. He was the military chief of the Syrian Revolutionaries Front and leader of the ...

(

Syria Revolutionaries Front The Syrian Revolutionaries Front (, ''Jabhat Thowar Suriya'', SRF, also translated Syrian Rebel Front) was an alliance of 14 relatively moderate religious and some secular armed groups fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, formed in ...

Mithqal al-Abdullah Mithqāl () is a unit of mass equal to which is mostly used for measuring precious metals, such as gold, and other commodities, like saffron. The name was also applied as an alternative term for the gold dinar, a coin that was used throughout ...

(Ansar Brigades) and Youssef al-Hassan (Haq al-Muqatila Front).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Awda, Abdullah Living people Members of the Free Syrian Army Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Syrian people stubs