Jaysh al-Salam () was an operations room of
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 ...
factions that operated in northern and eastern
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 ...
with the goal of attacking 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
Raqqa
Raqqa (, also , Kurdish language, Kurdish: ''Reqa'') is a city in Syria on the North bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city and b ...
.
As of the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, the coalition appeared to be defunct. Components of the group later joined the
Syrian Democratic Forces
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...
throughout 2016. It was superseded by various other groups and military councils within the SDF.
Ideology
During the founding statement of the Liberation Brigade on 12 September 2014, the group declared that they will be the "forces of
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 ...
, chosen by the
Syrian people
Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...
" and vowed to defend
liberty
Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
and preserve the unity of Syrian territory. The group also claimed that it will follow "strict military standards" in discipline and the selection of commanders.
[
]
Groups
Liwa Ahrar al-Raqqa
The Jihad in the Path of God Brigade () is a rebel group that operated in eastern Aleppo Governorate
Aleppo Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥalab'' ) is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is the most populous governorate in Syria with a population of more than 4,867,000 (2011 Est.), almost 23% of the t ...
. It was formed as a subunit of Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa
Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa () was a rebel group in the Syrian Civil War. It was formed in September 2012 in the Raqqa Governorate. Aligned with jihadist factions for its first years, at the end of 2015, it joined the Syrian Democratic Forces. During an ...
in September 2012, but later left the group. It fought 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 the eastern Aleppo province.[ The group acknowledges the Syrian opposition-in-exile government 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 ...
and the Supreme Military Council. The Jihad in the Path of God Brigade was a founding member group of the Euphrates Volcano
Euphrates Volcano () was a joint operations room/coalition established during the Syrian Civil War. It mainly consisted of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and certain factions of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The group fought to ...
operations room formed in September 2014.
The group was later renamed as Liwa Ahrar al-Raqqa (), which then joined the Syrian Democratic Forces
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...
in March 2016.
Liberation Brigade
The Liberation Brigade (, Liwa al-Tahrir) is a FSA-affiliated rebel group that was formed in the city of 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 ...
, part of the northern Hasakah Governorate, on 12 September 2014. Led by Abdul Karim Obeid, also known as Abu Mohammed Kafr Zita, a former commander of the Farouq Brigades
The Farouq Brigades (; also spelt Farooq or Farook) was a Syrian Islamist rebel group formed by a number of Homs-based members of the Free Syrian Army in the early phases of the Syrian Civil War. The group rapidly expanded in size and prominen ...
, the group joined the Euphrates Volcano operations room in coordination with the YPG
The People's Defense Units (YPG), also called People's Protection Units, is a libertarian socialist US-backed Kurdish militant group in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The YPG mostly consists of K ...
soon after its formation.[ In mid-2015, the group participated in the ]Tell Abyad offensive
The Tell Abyad offensive or Martyr Rubar Qamışlo operation was a military operation that began in late May 2015 in the northern Raqqa Governorate, during the Syrian Civil War. It was conducted by the Kurdish-majority People's Protection Units ...
and jointly controlled the border crossing
Border control comprises measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it als ...
with Akçakale
Akçakale () is a municipality and district of Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,038 km2, and its population is 123,721 (2022).
Akçakale forms a divided city with Tell Abyad in Syria, maintaining a border crossing. The Mayor is ...
.
In early June 2016 the Liberation Brigade's commander, Abdul Karim Obeid, attended and spoke at the funeral of Abu Layla, who was killed during the Manbij offensive, in Kobane.
In September 2016 tensions flared up between the YPG and members of the Liberation Brigade due to the perceived marginalization of FSA and Arab components of the Syrian Democratic Forces, while SDF sources suggested Abdul Karim Obeid was displeased with the civil administration of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria
The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), also known as Rojava, is a ''de facto'' autonomous region in northeastern Syria. It consists of self-governing sub-regions in the areas of Jazira, Euphrates, Raqqa, Ta ...
replacing warlordist political rule in 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 ...
style. The group also refused to fight the Turkish Armed Forces
The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; , TSK) are the armed forces, military forces of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey. The TAF consist of the Turkish Army, Land Forces, the Turkish Navy, Naval Forces and the Turkish Air Force, Air Forces. The Chief of ...
and its allies during the Jarabulus offensive. In a video message to the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, the group's commander, Abdul Karim Obeid, called for the SDF to be reformed into a united army under the authority of the United States Central Command
The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilit ...
and threatened to leave the SDF and withdraw from Tell Abyad if the YPG continued to dominate the coalition. As a response, the YPG imposed a blockade on the villages controlled by the group. Hours later, Abdul Karim Obeid and dozens of his fighters crossed from Tell Abyad into Turkey and defected to the Turkish Army
The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...
. About 25 to 50 of them arrived in Jarabulus
Jarabulus (, ALA-LC: , Syrian Arabic, 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 ...
and joined pro-Turkish rebels fighting the SDF. The remaining fighters stayed with the SDF.
Since November 2016, the pro-SDF Liberation Brigade faction took part in the Raqqa campaign, including the Battle of Raqqa since June 2017.
See also
* List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War
A number of states and armed groups have involved themselves in the Syrian civil war (2011–present) as belligerents. The main groups were Ba'athist Syria and allies, Syrian opposition, the Syrian opposition and allies, Al-Qaeda and affiliate ...
References
{{2011 Syrian uprising
Anti-Assad factions of the Syrian civil war
Anti-ISIL factions in Syria
Operations rooms of the Syrian civil war
Syrian Democratic Forces
Free Syrian Army
Military units and formations established in 2015