Jabhat al-Akrad

Liwa' Jabhat al-'Akrad
لواء جبهة الأكراد Participant in the Syrian Civil War
Former official logo of Jabhat al-Akrad
Active	2013 – Present
Leaders	Hajji Ahmed Kurdi[1]
Area of operations	Aleppo Governorate, Raqqa Governorate
Strength	<3,000
Part of	Euphrates Volcano[2] Army of Revolutionaries
Allies	People's Protection Units[3] Free Syrian Army Jaysh al-Islam[4] Northern Storm Brigade
Opponents	Syrian Armed Forces National Defence Forces Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant[5]

Jabhat al-Akrad (Arabic: جبهة الأكراد‎; Kurdish: Enîya Kurdan‎, lit. Kurdish Front Brigade), full name: (لواء جبهة الأكراد لنصرة شعبنا السوري‎ Liwa' Jabhat al-'Akrad l-Nusrah Shaʿbnā al-Sūrī, Kurdish Front Brigade to Protect the Syrian People), is a predominantly Kurdish rebel faction participating in the Syrian civil war.

Jabhat al-Akrad operates in Kurdish and ethnically-mixed areas in Syria's Aleppo and Raqqa provinces, mainly outside of the quasi-autonomous Kurdish enclaves in Kurd Dagh, Jazira, and the Kobanê Canton which are controlled by the YPG. These areas include the countryside north and east of Aleppo city, Aleppo city itself, the area of Tall Abyad in northern Raqqa province, and Raqqa city itself.

History

The group was originally formed as a brigade of the Free Syrian Army by Kurdish and Arab defectors from the Syrian Army. Since its founding it however also maintained close ties to the Democratic Union Party (PYD), including military coordination with its armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG).

Jabhat al-Akrad was expelled from the FSA Aleppo Military Council on 16 August 2013 due to alleged PKK affiliations^[6] amid widespread clashes in northern Syria between predominantly Sunni Arab rebel groups and Kurdish militia led by the YPG.

In early 2014, following several months of inactivity, Jabhat al-Akrad re-emerged to collaborate with the Free Syrian Army and other rebel factions in attacks on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

On 28 February, ISIL withdrew from the strategic border town of Azaz, which was then taken by Jabhat al-Akrad, the Northern Storm Brigade and Al-Tawhid Brigade.^[3] The faction and 10 other groups have threatened to leave Aleppo and Raqqa governorates if they are not aided by other rebels.^[5]

Army of Revolutionaries and Syrian Democratic Forces

On 3 May 2015, Jabhat al-Akrad together with former Hazzm Movement and Syria Revolutionaries Front affiliates, the Northern Sun Battalion and smaller FSA groups formed the Army of Revolutionaries (Jaysh al-Thuwar), which in October 2015 became part of the Syrian Democratic Forces.^[7]

See also

• List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War

References

1. Civiroglu, Mutlu (11 August 2013). "Kurdish Commander: Jihadi Groups in Syria Have Hijacked FSA". Rudaw English. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
2. "YPG and FSA form a joint military chamber to combat ISIS in Syria". ARA News. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
3. van Wilgenburg, Wladimir (27 March 2014). "Syrian Kurds, rebels find common enemy in ISIS". Al Monitor. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
4. "Al-Akrad Front defeats ISIL in Aleppo". ARA News. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
5. "Rebels demand help as fighting rages against ISIS in Ghouta". The Daily Star. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
6. van Wilgenburg, Wladimir (16 August 2013). "FSA Removes Jabhat al-Akrad From Council". Transnational Middle-East Observer. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
7. Hasan Mustafa (16 November 2015). "An Analysis of Jaish al-Thuwar (The Army of Revolutionaries) – A Component of the Syrian Democratic Forces". Retrieved 4 December 2015.