Army of Aleppo
The Jaysh Halab (Arabic: جيش حلب, lit. 'Army of Aleppo') was a coalition of Syrian rebel groups based in rebel-held areas inside the city of Aleppo, Syria. The coalition was created by Hashim al-Sheikh, the former general commander of Ahrar ash-Sham with the intent of unifying various rebel groups in Aleppo.[1] After the announcement, nothing was heard of the group until December 2016.
Army of Aleppo | |
---|---|
جيش حلب Participant in Syrian Civil WarJaysh Halab | |
Active |
|
Leaders | Hashim al-Sheikh ("Abu Jaber")[1]
(February 2016) |
Headquarters | Aleppo, Syria |
Area of operations | Aleppo, Syria |
Allies | Fatah Halab Jabhat Ansar al-Din |
Opponent(s) | |
Battles and war(s) | Syrian Civil War |
Initial member groups
The joint operations room consisted of both Sunni Islamist and Salafist factions and some Free Syrian Army groups. On its formation on 6 February 2016, the former Ahrar ash-Sham commander issued an ultimatum that ordered 15 rebel factions to join the group within 72 hours.[1]
- Ahrar ash-Sham
- Northern Division
- 16th Division
- 1st Regiment
- Mountain Hawks Brigade
- Sultan Murad Division
- Levant Front
- Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement
- Fastaqim Union
- Muntasir Billah Brigade
Re-activation
On 1 December 2016, during the Aleppo offensive, all rebel groups in southeastern Aleppo reportedly merged into the coalition replacing Fatah Halab in southeastern Aleppo.[6] A new commander, Abu Abdul Rahman Noor was named.[2] On 9 December a new emir was named, Abu Ashida'a[3]
The 2nd iteration of the group includes:[7]
- 1st Regiment
- Army of Mujahideen
- Elite Islamic Battalions
- Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement
- Sham Legion
- Levant Front
- Sultan Murad Division
- Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror Brigade
- Ahrar ash-Sham
- Abu Amara Battalions[8]
- Jaysh al-Islam
- Ashida'a Mujahideen Brigade
- Karm al-Jabal Martyrs Battalion[9]
References
- "Aleppo rebels rally around former Ahrar leader". Now News. 17 February 2016.
- "Factions in Aleppo announce forming the "Unified Army of Aleppo"". RFS Media Office. 1 December 2016.
- "New speech by Abu al-Abd Ashidaa, the new "emir of Aleppo" (can someone please translate?) • /r/syriancivilwar".
- "أبو العبد أشداء (@join_alfateh1) - Twitter".
- "izat on Twitter".
- "Besieged Aleppo rebels unite under new Jaish Halab banner". Al-Masdar News. 1 December 2016.
- "Aleppo Army infogrphic". Yalla Souriya. 2 December 2016.
- "Charles Lister on Twitter".
- Fadel, Leith (23 November 2016). "Four high-ranking jihadist commanders killed in Aleppo".