Jund al-Aqsa
| Jund al-Aqsa | |
|---|---|
|
جند الأقصى Participant in the Syrian Civil War and the War on Terror[1] | |
 Flag of Jund al-Aqsa  Emblem of Jund al-Aqsa | |
| Active | January 2014–present |
| Ideology | Salafist jihadism[2] |
| Leaders |
Abu Abdulaziz al-Qatari[3] † Abu Musab al-Ansari † Said Arif †[1] |
| Headquarters | Idlib, Idlib Governorate, Syria (March 2015–present)[1] |
| Area of operations |
Hama Governorate, Syria Idlib Governorate, Syria[4] Aleppo Governorate, Syria[5] |
| Strength |
1,000+ (Before split with Al-Nusra Front)[5] 600 (After split with Al-Nusra Front)[6] |
| Part of |
|
| Allies | |
| Opponents |
State Opponents Non-State Opponents |
| Battles and wars | |
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Jund al-Aqsa (Arabic: جند الأقصى, Soldiers of al-Aqsa) is an Islamist rebel group that has been active during the Syrian Civil War.[4] Formerly known as Sarayat Al-Quds, the group was founded by Abu Abdul 'Aziz al-Qatari as a subunit within the al-Nusra Front.[5] The group later became independent after disagreeing with Nusra's rapid recruitment drive and its feud with the Free Syrian Army.[5]
In early 2014, the group was reportedly composed of mostly non-Syrian Arab fighters.[16] By the end of the year, it had reportedly become a Syrian-majority group, partly because of defections from other Syrian rebel groups.[5]
Jund al-Aqsa is part of the Muhajirin wa-Ansar Alliance.[4]
On the 23 October 2015, Jund al-Aqsa left the Army of Conquest because of it's opposition to the other groups considering the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant an enemy.[17] On 17 February 2016, over 400 fighters and senior leaders of Jund al-Aqsa defected to al-Nusra Front.[18][6]
In the 2016 Khanasir offensive, Jund al-Aqsa and ISIL temporarily cut off the Syrian government's supply route to Aleppo, sharing war booty captured from Syrian forces before retreating.
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 "An internal struggle: Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate is grappling with its identity". Brookings Institution. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ↑ "The new face of the Syrian rebellion". The Arab Chronicle. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ↑ "ISIL Commanders Killed in Syria, Iraq". Fars News. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "The Other Syrian Peace Process". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Why Did Jund Al-Aqsa Join Nusra Front in Taking Out 'Moderate' Rebels in Idlib?". Huffington Post. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Jund al Aqsa leaders join Al Nusrah Front". The Long War Journal.
- ↑ "Reports: Al-Nusra Front leaves Jaish al-Fatah coalition in Syria". Middle East Eye.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/IvanSidorenko1/status/721936076928114689
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Rd_Almzalm
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/rd.almzalm/
- ↑ https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/field-report-islamist-rebels-attack-syrian-army-hama-map-update/
- ↑ "Al Qaeda seizes territory from moderate Syrian group". Reuters. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ↑ "The Assad Regime and Jihadis: Collaborators and Allies?". Syria Comment. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ↑ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=aa7_1456164667. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "Rebels launch full-on assault of Idlib city". Syria Direct. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ "Another Split Among Chechen Jihadists over Fight with ISIS". From Chechnya to Syria. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ↑ "Al Qaeda front group claims success in key Syrian town". Long War Journal. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ↑ "Charles Lister". Twitter.
External links
- Jund al-Aqsa's YouTube Channel (Arabic)
