Azadî Battalion
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The Azadî Battalion (), also known as the Elite Battalion, is a
Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...
unit affiliated with 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 ...
and reportedly loyal to Mustafa Cumma's Kurdish Freedom Party (also called Azadî Party). Founded in 2012 and led by Azad Shabo, the Azadî Battalion is opposed to the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and fights on the side of
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 ...
in the Syrian Civil War.


History


Early phase of the civil war and decline

Mustafa Cumma's Kurdish Freedom Party is a long-standing rival of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and strongly opposes its policies. In early 2012, members of the Kurdish Freedom Party came together in the village of Tel Aren,
Afrin District Afrin District (, Kurdish: Herêma Efrînê) is a district of Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria. The administrative centre is the city of Afrin. At the 2004 census, the district had a population of 172,095. Also available in English: Afrin ...
, where they announced the formation of the Azadî Battalion under the leadership of Azad Shabo. Though considered "supporters of the Kurdish Freedom Party", the Azadî Battalion denied an affiliation to any party. It subsequently joined the anti-PYD
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 ...
and the Aleppo Revolutionary Military Council, led by Abdul Jabbar al-Oqaidi; the pro-PYD
Hawar News Agency '' Hawar News Agency'' (sometimes abbreviated ''ANHA'') (; ) is a news agency. The site started as an Arabic-only news service. Hawar News is linked to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and its armed forces the Sy ...
has accused the militia of directly working with 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 ...
in
Ras al-Ayn Ras al-Ayn (, , ), also spelled Ras al-Ain, is a city in al-Hasakah Governorate in northeastern Syria, on the Syria–Turkey border. One of the oldest cities in Upper Mesopotamia, the area of Ras al-Ayn has been inhabited since at least the Neol ...
. After the formation of a PYD/YPG-aligned FSA group, named the
Kurdish Front The Kurdish Front (, transliterated: Jabhat al-Akrād; , former full name: ''Liwa' Jabhat al-'Akrād an-Nuṣrah Shaʿbnā al-Sūrī'', "Brigade of the Kurdish Front to Support Our Syrian People") is a predominantly Kurdish Syrian rebel facti ...
, at the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013, the influence of other Kurdish FSA groups such as the Azadî Battalion and the
Saladin Ayubi Brigade The Saladin Ayubi Brigade (, ) was a mainly-Syrian Kurdish armed rebel group that fought in the Syrian Civil War as part of the Free Syrian Army. Formed in May 2012 and named after the early Kurdish Muslim leader Saladin, the group was led by d ...
began to decline. Meanwhile, Cumma's Kurdish Freedom Party left the
Kurdish Supreme Committee The Kurdish Supreme Committee (; DBK) was a self-proclaimed governing body in Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, Northern Syria, which was founded by the Democratic Union Party (Syria), Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Kurdish N ...
, an attempted coalition government of pro- and anti-PYD parties for the Syrian Kurdish-held territories, in February 2013. Hostilities between the two parties consequently grew, and the Azadî Battalion clashed with the YPG at the villages of Burj Abdilla and Abdilla in the
Afrin Region Afrin Region (; ; ) was the westernmost of the three original regions of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. The region previously had two subordinate cantons, the Afrin Canton, consisting of the Afrin city area (with the ...
on 7 March 2013. Both sides blamed each other for this incident that left four fighters dead. Sporadic fighting between the two groups continued, and Azadî Battalion fighters reportedly took part in attacks on the YPG-held Sheikh Maqsood neighborhood of
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 ...
since September 2013. The group also fought with other rebels against 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 Aleppo's
Khan al-Asal Khan al-Assal () is a district of Aleppo city in northern Syria. It is administratively a sub-district of Aleppo, which is a part of the Mount Simeon District in the Aleppo Governorate. Khan al-Assal is located west-southwest of the center of Alep ...
and Rashidin. When the al-Nusra Front and allied FSA units attacked and overran the Kurdish Front's positions at Tall Hasil and Tall Aran southeast of
Aleppo International Airport Aleppo International Airport () is an international airport serving Aleppo, Syria. The airport serves as a secondary hub for Syrian Air and Cham Wings. History Early history The history of the airport dates back to the beginning of the 2 ...
, the Azadî Battalion was accused of having taken part in the fighting. The battalion itself denied this, while a FSA member declared that the Azadî Battalion had simply started policing the villages after their capture by the FSA. Nevertheless, the
Kurdish Supreme Committee The Kurdish Supreme Committee (; DBK) was a self-proclaimed governing body in Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, Northern Syria, which was founded by the Democratic Union Party (Syria), Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Kurdish N ...
consequently started an investigation of the Azadî Battalion "for allegedly taking part in the attacks against West Kurdistan". The Kurdish Institute of Brussels condemned the Azadî Battalion for the same reasons. Meanwhile, hardcore Islamist rebel groups accused the Azadî Battalion of working with the Kurdish Front. By 2016, the Azadî Battalion had joined the
Army of Mujahideen The Mujahideen Army (, Jaysh al-Mujahideen) was a Sunni Islamist rebel group formed in order to fight the Syrian government and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during the Syrian Civil War. Originally a coalition of several Isl ...
. In May 2016, Azad Shabo gave an interview to ''Halab Today'', claiming that the Syrian government, not the FSA, was shelling Sheikh Maqsood, while also accusing the YPG forces in Sheikh Maqsood of being allied to the government. He also said that the YPG helped to break the Siege of Nubl and al-Zahraa, and that the PYD's rule over Afrin was a brutal, mismanaged dictatorship. Though the Azadî Battalion continued to fight against the YPG, its power reportedly dwindled over time, and pro-PYD media claimed that parts of the militia under Mahmut Hamo eventually split off and joined the
Sultan Murad Division The Sultan Murad Division (; ''Firqat al-Sultan Murad''; ) is a Syrian Turkmen rebel group fighting in the Syrian Civil War. It is aligned with the Syrian Interim Government and heavily supported by Turkey, who provides funding and military t ...
. The rest of the Azadî Battalion eventually joined the Elite Army while remaining under Azad Shabo's command. The unit thereafter came to call itself the "Elite Battalion", though also continued to use its old name. It is unclear how numerous the unit still is; Shabo said in late January 2018 that there were "dozens" of Kurds fighting with pro-Turkish forces in Syria, though claimed a few weeks later that his unit included "100 Kurdish fighters affiliated with the FSA".


Operations with the SNA

The Azadî Battalion became part of the
Syrian National Army The Syrian National Army (SNA; ), also known as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA), is a coalition of armed Syrian opposition groups that participate in the Syrian civil war. Comprising various rebel factions that emerged at the sta ...
in 2016 and took part in
Operation Euphrates Shield Operation Euphrates Shield () was an offensive by the Turkish Armed Forces and the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army, which led to the Turkish occupation of northern Syria. Operations were carried out in the region between the Euphrates river to th ...
against the
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 ...
. In course of that campaign, it fought at
Jarablus Jarabulus (, ALA-LC: , Aleppo dialect: ; or ; ) is a Syrian city administratively belonging to Aleppo Governorate, under the de facto control of the Syrian Opposition. Jarabulus lies on the western bank of the Euphrates and north of Lake Assad ...
,
Azaz Azaz () is a city in northwest Syria, roughly north-northwest of Aleppo. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Azaz had a population of 31,623 at the 2004 census.
and
al-Bab Al-Bab ( / ALA-LC: ''al-Bāb'') is a Syrian city, administratively belonging to the Aleppo Governorate. Al-Bab is located northeast of Aleppo, south of the Turkish border, and has an area of . Al-Bab has an altitude of . According to the Cen ...
. In March 2017, Azad Shabo stated that his militia was supporting the deployment of Peshmerga Roj to Syria. In September 2017, someone attempted to assassinate Azad Shabo by placing a bomb under his car, though the explosive device was found and destroyed before it could harm anyone. In early 2018, the Azadî Battalion participated in
Operation Olive Branch Operation Olive Branch () was an invasion by the Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army (SNA) in the Kurdish-majority Afrin District of northwest Syria, against the People's Protection Units (YPG) of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Th ...
, causing the pro-PYD Hawar News Agency to claim that Azad Shabo's men acted as "mercenaries" for the
Kurdish National Council The Kurdish National Council in Syria (KNCS, , ENKS; ) or Kurdish National Council (KNC) is a Kurds in Syria, Syrian Kurdish political party. While the KNC had initially more international support than the ruling Democratic Union Party (Syria), ...
and Turkey. On the other side, Azad Shabo accused the YPG of being "agents of the Syrian regime" and said that the campaign would not end before Afrin had been captured from the YPG. In another interview, he further stated that "Afrin will return to the arms of the Syrian revolution and will win back the rights of its people. The YPG is no different from Assad’s regime. They have both practiced tyranny and murder against Kurds. Operation Olive Branch will liberate Afrin's inhabitants." An Azadî Battalion commander accused
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
of increasing its presence through proxy militias in southeastern Aleppo in October 2018, claiming that said militias were lawless and not loyal to Syrian authorities. In late 2019, the Azadî Battalion took part in the Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria.


Ideology

The Azadî Battalion claims to fight for
democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...
and the liberation of all Syrians from the rule of the
al-Assad family The Assad family ruled Syria from 1971, when Hafez al-Assad became President of Syria, president under the Ba'ath Party (Syrian-dominated faction), Ba'ath Party following the Corrective Movement (Syria), 1970 coup, until Bashar al-Assad was Fal ...
. It regards the PYD and YPG/YPJ as
Ba'athist Ba'athism, also spelled Baathism, is an Arab nationalist ideology which advocates the establishment of a unified Arab state through the rule of a Ba'athist vanguard party operating under a revolutionary socialist framework. The ideology ...
,
chauvinist Chauvinism ( ) is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one's own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy, or inferior. The ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' describes it ...
and
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
proxies of the
Kurdistan Workers' Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed ...
who are thought by the Azadî Battalion to be controlled by Iran and closely allied with the Syrian government. Furthermore, Azad Shabo has stated his belief that the "PYD was formed to fight Islam". The Azadî Battalion officially voiced support for the
Kurdish National Council The Kurdish National Council in Syria (KNCS, , ENKS; ) or Kurdish National Council (KNC) is a Kurds in Syria, Syrian Kurdish political party. While the KNC had initially more international support than the ruling Democratic Union Party (Syria), ...
in 2017.


See also

* Descendants of Saladin Brigade *
Saladin Ayubi Brigade The Saladin Ayubi Brigade (, ) was a mainly-Syrian Kurdish armed rebel group that fought in the Syrian Civil War as part of the Free Syrian Army. Formed in May 2012 and named after the early Kurdish Muslim leader Saladin, the group was led by d ...


Notes


References

{{Syrian Civil War Free Syrian Army Anti-ISIL factions in Syria Anti-Assad factions of the Syrian civil war Military units and factions of the Syrian civil war Military units and formations established in 2012