The Brigade of Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

:لواء أبو الفضل العباس, ''Liwa Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas''), also known as the al-Abbas Brigade (

:كتائب العباس, ''Kata'ib al-Abbas''), is a pro-government

Twelver Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...

Shia Muslim Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...

militant group operating throughout Syria. It is named after the nickname of

Al-Abbas ibn Ali Al-Abbas ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib ( ar, ٱلْعَبَّاس ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱبْن أَبِي طَالِب, al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAlīy ibn ʾAbī Ṭālib), also known as Abu al-Fadl ( ar, أَبُو ٱلْفَضْل, link=no) (15 May 647 - ...

, son of

Imam Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...

. The group was formed in late 2012 to defend the

Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque ( ar, مَسْجِد ٱلسَّيِّدَة زَيْنَب, Masjid as-Sayyidah Zaynab) is a mosque located in the city of Sayyidah Zaynab, in the southern suburbs of Damascus, Syria. According to Twelver Shia Muslim traditi ...

and other Shia holy sites in Syria. It rose in prominence in reaction to the desecration of various shrines, heritage sites, and places of worship by

Syrian rebels A number of states and armed groups have involved themselves in the ongoing Syrian Civil War as belligerents. Syrian Arab Republic and allies A number of sources have emphasized that as of at least late-2015/early-2016 the Syrian Arab Republic ...

during the Syrian civil war, and subsequently collaborated with the

Syrian Army " (''Guardians of the Homeland'') , colors = * Service uniform: Khaki, Olive * Combat uniform: Green, Black, Khaki , anniversaries = August 1st , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = 1948 Arab–Israeli War Six ...

. Its fighters include Shia Damascenes, Damascus-based Shia

Iraqi refugees Refugees of Iraq are Iraqi nationals who have fled Iraq due to war or persecution. Throughout the past 30 years, there have been a growing number of refugees fleeing Iraq and settling throughout the world, peaking recently with the latest Iraq ...

, and foreign Shia volunteers, mostly from Iraq. It fights primarily around Damascus, but has fought in Aleppo as well. In May and June 2013, Reuters reported a split had developed within the brigade over finances and leadership which led to violence. Many non-Syrian members subsequently formed a different brigade. On 19 May 2014, fighters from the Nour al-Din al-Zanki Brigade claimed to have taken over the al-Abbas Brigade's regional headquarters in Aleppo. As the

Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

made significant gains in Iraq in mid-2014, many its Iraqi members returned home to defend the faltering government in Baghdad. The al-Abbas Bridge took part in the

2018 Southern Syria offensive The 2018 Southern Syria offensive, code-named Operation Basalt ( ar, عملية البازلت), was a military operation launched by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies against the rebels and ISIL in Southern Syria. The fighting began with ...

in support of government troops.

References

Anti-ISIL factions in Syria Pro-government factions of the Syrian civil war Resistance movements Shia Islamist groups Shia organizations Syrian Shia organizations Military units and formations established in 2012 Organizations designated as terrorist by the United Arab Emirates Organizations based in Asia designated as terrorist Jihadist groups in Syria Jihadist groups in Iraq Arab militant groups Axis of Resistance {{Syria-mil-stub

See also

References