Levant Front

Levant Front
الجبهة الشامية
al-Jabha al-Shamiyah
Participant in the Syrian Civil War
Active

25 December 2014[1]–18 April 2015;

18 June 2015–Present
Leaders Abu Amr[2][3]
Headquarters Azaz, Aleppo, Syria
Area of operations Aleppo Governorate, Syria
Part of

Fatah Halab[4]
Jaysh Halab[5][6]
Mare' Operations Room[7]
Hawar Kilis Operations Room
Rad al-Mazalem[8][9][10][11]

Free Syrian Army[12]
Syrian Revolutionary Command Council
Allies
Opponents
Battles and wars

Syrian Civil War

The Levant Front (Arabic: الجبهة الشامية‎, also translated as the al-Sham Front, Jabhat al-Sham or Levantine Front)[16] are Aleppo-based rebel involved in the Syrian Civil War.[17] Its membership includes the major Sunni Islamist groups operating in northern Syria, representing a spectrum of ideologies from hardline Salafism to apolitical factions linked to the Free Syrian Army.[1] It was formed in December 2014.

History

Initial formation

Following months of negotiations in Turkey and northern Syria between the Islamic Front (Al-Tawhid Brigade), Army of Mujahedeen, Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki, Fastaqim Kama Umirt, Liwa Ahrar Souriya and the Authenticity and Development Front, on 25 December 2014, the factions announced that they had combined their forces into a joint command called the Levant Front.[1] The Western backed Hazzm Movement joined the coalition on 30 January 2015,[18] and announced its dissolution and merger with into other Levant Front factions on 1 March 2015.[19]

On 20 February 2015, the Levant Front successfully forced the Syrian Army forces to retreat from rural towns in Aleppo;[20] during the clashes group has killed 300 Syrian soldiers and captured 110.[21]

Dissolution and reestablishment in 2015

On 18 April 2015, the Levant Front announced its dissolution as an alliance, however it stated that the member factions would continue to coordinate with each other militarily. Reasons behind the split are believed to include a lack of coordination between the groups and increasing defections of its members to other factions.[22][23] Following its end as a single unified group, it continued to act as a joint operations room.[24]

On 26 April 2015, along with other major Aleppo based groups, they established the Fatah Halab joint operations room.[4][25] Also in April, Thuwar al-Sham Battalion dissolved into the Front..

The group announced its reactivation on 18 June. Their new leader is Abu Amr, who is an Ahrar ash-Sham commander.[2][3] On 29 June, the Levant Front released their charter.[26]

Since it's reactivation on 18 June the Levant Front operates as a unified group with former members acting as independent groups.[27]

The core of their fighters come from former members of Al-Tawhid Brigade, Hazzm Movement and the northern branch of the Syria Revolutionaries Front.

The Syrian Kurd's offensive against the Levant Front

The Syrian Kurds successfully drove out the Levant Front from a former Syrian military airbase in Syria's north on February 10, 2016. After days of fierce clashes that saw YPG and Jaysh Al-Thuwar forces take over a series of villages before reaching and capturing the Menagh Military Airbase and the village of Minîh from the Levant Front. According to sources quoted by Reuters they were supported by 30 Russian airstrikes. The Syrian Kurds initiated this offensive following the recent Syrian offensive on opposition forces in Aleppo supported by Russian airstrikes. The Kurds advanced from Syrian Kurdistan's most isolated westward canton of Afrin which had been attacked multiple times by Islamist groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra. The aim was to prevent attacks on Afrin canton and close the Turkish border to these various Islamist groups.[28][29][30]>

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Levant Front: Can Aleppo’s Rebels Unite?". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 26 December 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Charles Lister on Twitter". Twitter.
  3. 1 2 "Charles Lister on Twitter". Twitter.
  4. 1 2 "The biggest rebel factions in Aleppo just formed coalition "Operation Conquest of Aleppo"". reddit.
  5. ↑ "Participating groups in Halab Aleppo, the coalition organized to fight against YPG/SDF : syriancivilwar". reddit. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Twitter". Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  7. ↑ https://i.imgur.com/HGjO9PP.png
  8. ↑ https://twitter.com/IvanSidorenko1/status/721936076928114689
  9. ↑ https://twitter.com/Rd_Almzalm
  10. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/rd.almzalm/
  11. ↑ https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/field-report-islamist-rebels-attack-syrian-army-hama-map-update/
  12. ↑ "Free Syrian Army – Statement". RFS Media Office. 22 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "Aleppo Battle: Al Qaeda's Jabhat Al-Nusra Is Friend To Syrian Rebel Groups". International Business Times. 9 March 2015.
  14. 1 2 "Aleppo's rebels brace for IS assault". Al-Monitor. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  15. ↑ "Scores killed as opposition fighters launched new formation in Syria’s Aleppo". ARA News. 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  16. ↑ "Syrian rebel groups in Aleppo enter alliance: monitoring group". Reuters. 26 December 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  17. ↑ "KingQajar comments on [ARABIC] Jabhat al-Shamiyah has announced its official dissolution.". Reddit.
  18. ↑ "Hazem Movement joins al- Jabha al- Shameyyah". SOHR. 30 January 2015.
  19. ↑ "U.S.-backed Syria rebel group dissolves itself after losses". Reuters Media. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  20. ↑ "قائد في "حزب الله": قوات النظام ارتكبت مجزرة بحلب والضباط تركونا لوحدنا". alankabout.com.
  21. ↑ حلب - أنس الكردي. "العربي الجديد - حلب: المعارضة السورية تحرز تقدماً والنظام يستدعي مقاتلين أجانب". alaraby.
  22. ↑ "بعد 3 أشهر من تشكيلها .."الجبهة الشامية" بحلب تحلّ نفسها". El Dorar. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  23. ↑ "Key Islamist group Shamiya Front resolves itself: source". Zaman al-Wasl. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  24. ↑ "Chester_T_Molester comments on Jabhat al-Shamiya Operations Room Announces New Offensive on Al-Rashidin, Aleppo". reddit.
  25. ↑ "Fateh Haleb Coalition Member Organizations List : syriancivilwar". reddit.
  26. ↑ "Ibn Nabih on Twitter". Twitter.
  27. ↑ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aI3yAmNGW1vLpJCOrhiVLqpUUIX9PG1RNsCqJGGfhxI/edit
  28. ↑ "YPG Kurds successfully overrun former Syrian airbase". Rudaw. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  29. ↑ http://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/ypg-takes-control-of-menagh-military-airbase-and-minih-village
  30. ↑ "Kurds, allies seize most of key air base in north Syria: monitor". Retrieved 11 April 2016.
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