Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas

Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas
لواء أبو الفضل العباس
Participant in the Iraqi insurgency and Syrian Civil War


Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas 2013 new logo & SSI
Active 2012 – present
Ideology Shia Islamism
Leaders Abu Ajeeb (Secretary General)
Abu Hajar (Brigade Commander)  (WIA)[1]
Area of operations

Syria Syria

Strength 10,000+[2]
Allies Syrian Armed Forces
National Defense Force
Hezbollah[2]
Kata'ib Hezbollah[2]
Iraq Iraqi Armed Forces[3]
Opponents Syria Free Syrian Army
Islamic Front
Al-Nusra Front
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Battles and wars

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 militant group operating throughout Syria. It is named after the nickname of Al-Abbas ibn Ali, son of Imam Ali.

The group was formed in late 2012 to defend the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque and other Shia holy sites in Syria.[6] 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.[7][5] It fights primarily around Damascus, but has fought in Aleppo as well.[8]

In May and June 2013, Reuters reported a split had developed within the brigade brigade over finances and leadership which erupted into a gunbattle. Many non-Syrian members subsequently formed a different brigade.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ ZAYNAB’S GUARDIANS: THE EMERGENCE OF SHI`A MILITIAS IN SYRIA Christopher Anzalone, Combating Terrorism Center, July 23, 2013
  2. 1 2 3 "Syrian war widens Sunni-Shia schism as foreign jihadis join fight for shrines". The Guardian. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Shia militia arrive to defend shrines". CNN. 2 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "NGO: Fierce clashes in Damascus district". AFP. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  5. 1 2 http://jihadology.net/2014/06/18/hizballah-cavalcade-from-najaf-to-damascus-and-onto-baghdad-iraqs-liwa-abu-fadl-al-abbas/
  6. ↑ http://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-shiites-idUSBRE92202X20130303
  7. ↑ http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/irans-foreign-legion-the-role-of-iraqi-shiite-militias-in-syria
  8. ↑ http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/more-iraqi-paramilitary-arrive-in-aleppo-under-orders-from-the-iranian-revolutionary-guard/
  9. ↑ "Iraqi Shi'ites flock to Assad's side as sectarian split widens". Reuters. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  10. ↑ #حركة_نور_الدين_الزنكي -- السيطرة على غرفة عمليات ابو الفضل العباس في حي الراشدين. YouTube. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  11. ↑ "Hezbollah displacing Iraqi Shiite fighters in Syria". Ya Libnan. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
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