Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas

The Brigade of Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas (Arabic:لواء أبو الفضل العباس, Liwa Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas), also known as the al-Abbas Brigade (Arabic:كتائب العباس, Kata'ib al-Abbas), is a pro-government Twelver Shia Muslim militant group operating throughout Syria. It is named after the nickname of Al-Abbas ibn Ali, son of Imam Ali.

Not to be confused with Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces.
Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas
لواء أبو الفضل العباس
Participant in the Iraqi insurgency and Syrian civil war

New logo of the brigade.


Former SSI of the brigade.


Ceremonial flag used by the brigade.
Active2012–present
IdeologyShia Islamism
Group(s)
LeadersAbu Ajeeb (Secretary General)
Abu Hajar (Brigade Commander)  (WIA)[2]
Area of operations Syria
Size10,000+[3]
Allies
Opponent(s)
Battles and war(s)
Designated as a terrorist organisation by
 United Arab Emirates[11]

The group was formed in late 2012 to defend the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque and other Shia holy sites in Syria.[12] It rose in prominence in reaction to the desecration of various shrines, heritage sites, and places of worship by rebels during the Syrian civil war and subsequently collaborated with the Syrian Army. Its fighters include native Shia Damascenes, Damascus-based Iraqi Shia refugees, Iraqi Shia volunteers, and other foreign Shia volunteers. Iraqis form its primary constituent.[13][10] It fights primarily around Damascus, but has fought in Aleppo as well.[14]

In May and June 2013, Reuters reported a split had developed within the brigade over finances and leadership which erupted into a gunbattle. Many non-Syrian members subsequently formed a different brigade.[15]

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.[16]

As ISIS made significant gains in Iraq in mid 2014, its Iraqi members were forced to return home to defend the faltering Shi'ite led government in Baghdad.[17]

The al-Abbas Bridge reportedly took part in the 2018 Southern Syria offensive in support of government troops.[18]

The militia has the backing of Iran.[18]

See also

References
  1. "How Iran Is Building Its Syrian Hezbollah". www.washingtoninstitute.org.
  2. ZAYNAB’S GUARDIANS: THE EMERGENCE OF SHI`A MILITIAS IN SYRIA Christopher Anzalone, Combating Terrorism Center, July 23, 2013
  3. "Syrian war widens Sunni-Shia schism as foreign jihadis join fight for shrines". The Guardian. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  4. "Shia militia arrive to defend shrines". CNN. 2 July 2014.
  5. Phillip Smyth (8 March 2016). "How Iran Is Building Its Syrian Hezbollah". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2020-03-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada | Mapping Militant Organizations". web.stanford.edu.
  8. "NGO: Fierce clashes in Damascus district". AFP. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  9. "WATCH: Iranian militia leader appears in video in Daraa". Al Arabiya English. July 2, 2018.
  10. phillsmyth (18 June 2014). "Hizballah Cavalcade: From Najaf to Damascus and Onto Baghdad: Iraq's Liwa Abu Fadl al-Abbas". Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  11. "مجلس الوزراء يعتمد قائمة التنظيمات الإرهابية. | WAM". November 17, 2014. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014.
  12. "Shi'ite fighters rally to defend Damascus shrine". Reuters. 3 March 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  13. "Iran's Foreign Legion: The Role of Iraqi Shiite Militias in Syria". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  14. Fadel, Leith (26 October 2015). "More Iraqi Paramilitary Arrive in Aleppo Under Orders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard". Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  15. "Iraqi Shi'ites flock to Assad's side as sectarian split widens". Reuters. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  16. #حركة_نور_الدين_الزنكي -- السيطرة على غرفة عمليات ابو الفضل العباس في حي الراشدين. YouTube. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  17. "Hezbollah displacing Iraqi Shiite fighters in Syria". Ya Libnan. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  18. "WATCH: Iranian militia leader appears in video in Daraa". english.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 4 July 2018.


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