Ansar al-Sharia (Arabic: أنصار الشريعة, lit. 'Partisans of Islamic Law') was a joint operations room of Sunni Islamist and Salafi jihadist rebel factions that operate in Aleppo, Syria. Its stated aim is seizing the city of Aleppo from the Syrian government in order to administer the city under Sharia law on the basis of a joint charter.[4]
| Ansar al-Sharia | |
|---|---|
| أنصار الشريعة | |
 | |
| Dates of operation | 2 July 2015[1]–Late 2015/early 2016 (defunct) |
| Headquarters | Aleppo |
| Active regions | Aleppo Governorate, Syria |
| Ideology | Sunni Islamism
|
| Allies |  Fatah Halab[2] |
| Opponents |  Syrian Armed Forces
|
| Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War |
In an October 2015 publication, the Washington D.C.–based Institute for the Study of War considered Ansar al-Sharia as one of the "powerbrokers" in Aleppo Governorate, being primarily "anti-regime" but not necessarily "anti-ISIS".[4]
Participants
editAs of October 2015[update], the following groups participate in the operations room:[5]
- Al-Nusra Front
- Mujahideen of Islam Movement
- Supporters of the Caliphate Brigade
- Ahrar ash-Sham
- 1st Regiment
- Ansar al-Din Front
- Dawn of the Caliphate Brigades
- Sultan Murad Brigade[6][7]
- Saraya al-Mee’ad
- Companions Battalion
- Soldiers of God Battalion
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Rebel and Islamist groups form (another) op room "Ansar Al-Shariah" to take Aleppo city and its countryside". Reddit. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ a b @PetoLucem (3 December 2015). "NEW MAP: Military situation in #Aleppo Governorate. #Syria #SAA #Fatah_Halab #Ansar_Al_Sharia #AlQaeda #IslamicState" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Syria military resists major rebel assault in Aleppo". BBC News. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ a b Cafarella & Casagrande 2015, p. 3.
- ^ Cafarella & Casagrande 2015, pp. 14 f.
- ^ @archicivilians (31 March 2016). "InfoGraphic: Sultan Murad Division - #FSA (#Syria Opposition)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Syrian Civil War factions".
Sources
edit- Cafarella, Jennifer; Casagrande, Genevieve (7 October 2015). "Syrian Opposition Guide" (PDF). Backgrounder. Institute for the Study of War.