The National Unity Brigades (; ''Kata'ib al-Wehda al-Watania'') was an alliance of Syrian rebel groups that participated in the Syrian Civil War. The group was formed in August 2012. Known for its non-sectarianism, the group included rebels from

minority groups The term "minority group" has different meanings, depending on the context. According to common usage, it can be defined simply as a group in society with the least number of individuals, or less than half of a population. Usually a minority g ...

such as

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

Ismailis Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept M ...

, and

Alawites Alawites () are an Arab ethnoreligious group who live primarily in the Levant region in West Asia and follow Alawism, a sect of Islam that splintered from early Shia as a ''ghulat'' branch during the ninth century. Alawites venerate Ali ...

. The goal of the group was to establish a civil,

democratic state 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 ...

for "all

ethnicities An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, rel ...

and social identities".

Member groups

Many of the units in the National Unity Brigades are named after Syrian nationalist and Syrian independence figures. ;Subgroups in the

Idlib Idlib (, ; also spelt Idleb or Edlib) is a city in northwestern Syria, and is the capital of the Idlib Governorate. It has an elevation of nearly above sea level, and is southwest of Aleppo. It is located near the border with Turkey. History ...

and

Latakia Latakia (; ; Syrian Arabic, Syrian pronunciation: ) is the principal port city of Syria and capital city of the Latakia Governorate located on the Mediterranean coast. Historically, it has also been known as Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad Mar ...

governorates * Martyrs of Mount Wastani Brigade ** Martyr Muhammad Sultan Battalion ** Martyr Raed Sultan Battalion ** Ansar Battalion ** Free Detainees Battalion * Martyrs of Janudia Battalion * Martyrs of Bidama Brigade * Free Men of Bidama Battalion *

Caliphate A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

Brigade ** Martyrs of Freedom Battalion * Banners of the Revolution Battalion * "We are all Syrians" Brigade ** Hawks of Islam Battalion ** Northern Storm Battalion ** Loire Mountain Battalion ** Swords of Islam Battalion ;Subgroups in the

Hama Governorate Hama Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥamā'') is one of the 14 Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is situated in western-central Syria, bordering Idlib Governorate, Idlib and Aleppo Governorates to the north, Raqqa Gove ...

* Martyrs of

Salamiyah file:Hama qalat shmemis salamiyyah syria 1995.jpg, A full view of Shmemis (spring 1995) Salamiyah (; also transliterated ''Salamiyya'', ''Salamieh'' or ''Salamya'') is a city in central Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate. It is ...

City Brigade ** Yusuf al-'Azma Battalion ** Fawzi al-Qawuqji Battalion **

Rashid ad-Din Sinan Rashid al-Din Sinan ( ; 1131/1135 – 1193) also known as the Old Man of the Mountain ( ; ), was an Arab Muslim missionary () who served as the leader of the Nizari Ismaili state and the Order of Assassins from 1162 until his death in 1193. ...

Battalion ** Salamiya Youth Battalion * Martyr Yusuf al-'Azma Company ;Subgroups in the Suwayda and Rif Dimashq governorates * Yusuf al-'Azma Brigade * Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar Brigade * Martyr Tamer al-Awam Battalion * Martyrs of the Syrian Revolution Brigade * Ahmad Maryoud Brigade * Damascus Martyrs Brigade

Structure, funding, external support, and relations with other groups

The first plans of forming the National Unity Brigades was discussed by rebels in June 2012. Some of the rebels in the group were former

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

s and

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

ers. They began to collect money, organized the units, and announced the formation of the group in August 2012. In October 2012, the National Unity Brigades rejected foreign political support. The group was a loose coalition instead of a unified group and it received funding from various rebel military councils in Syria. The group claimed to have good relations with all other rebel groups "without exception" and have fought in battles "side by side with Islamist and

Jihadist Jihadism is a neologism for modern, armed militant Political aspects of Islam, Islamic movements that seek to Islamic state, establish states based on Islamic principles. In a narrower sense, it refers to the belief that armed confrontation ...

brigades". In January 2013, 200 fighters of the

Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades The Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades ( ''Al-wiat Aḥfād ar-Rasūl'', "Grandsons of the Prophet Brigades") was a Syrian rebel group fighting against the Syrian government in the Syrian Civil War. It was funded by the Qatari government. Structure and ...

on Mount Zawiya requested to join the National Unity Brigades. The request was denied due to the lack of sufficient resources such as

ammunition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...

for the group. The group recognized the Supreme Military Council, although it originally did not receive any support from it. On 18 May 2013, the Free Syria Front was formed by SMC commander

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 ...

Qasim Saad al-Din. Many groups in the National Unity Brigades joined the Free Syria Front. By October 2013, the NUB became an "autonomous coalition" within the FSF. In February 2013, the National Unity Brigades refused to cooperate 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 ...

. A fighter in the group stated that "

al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

is hijacking the revolution". Tensions rose between the two groups on Mount Wastani in western Idlib. On 19 June 2013, al-Nusra Front fighters killed two civilians in the area. After this, 50 al-Nusra fighters attempted to enter a village west of Darkoush, but was stopped at a checkpoint manned by the Martyrs of Mount Wastani Brigade, part of the National Unity Brigades. Following this incident, 10 rebel groups on Mount Wastani formed a coalition against al-Nusra and forced them to withdraw from the area by October 2013: * Martyrs of Mount Wastani Brigade * Northern Countryside Brigade * Free Men of Mount Wastani Brigade * Ghufran Brigade * Glories of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Brigade * Ahbad al-Rasul Brigade * Happy Martyrs Brigade * Free Zawiya Brigade * Free Battalion * Jisr al-Shughur Military Council In July 2014, the al-Nusra Front attacked the Martyrs of Mount Wastani Brigade near the mountain range, resulting in casualties from both sides.

References

{{Syrian Civil War Anti-Assad factions of the Syrian civil war Anti-ISIL factions in Syria Military units and formations disestablished in 2014 Military units and formations established in 2012 Free Syrian Army