Ansar al-Sham

Not to be confused with Ansar al-Islam in Syria, also called Ansar al-Sham.

Kata'ib Ansar al-Sham
Supporters of the Levant Battalions[1]
Arabic: كتائب أنصار الشام
LeadersAbu Omar al-Jamil
(overall leader)
Abu Musa al-Shishani
(military commander)[3]
Dates of operationSeptember 2012[3] – present
Group(s)al-Zahir Baybars Battalion[4]
HeadquartersJabal al-Akrad, Latakia Governorate[4]
Active regionsLatakia Governorate[5]
Idlib Governorate[1]
IdeologySunni Islamism[6]
Size2,500[4] (March 2014)
Part of Syrian Islamic Front
Islamic Front
Jaysh al-Islam[7] (December 2016–January 2017, branch part of Ahrar al-Sham since January 2017)
Tahrir al-Sham (February 2017–August 2018)[8]
Allies Free Syrian Army
Junud al-Sham
Jund al-Aqsa
Sham Legion
Ajnad al-Kavkaz
Ajnad ash-Sham
Jaysh al-Sunna
Tahrir al-Sham
Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria
Opponents Syria
 Russia
 Iran
Hezbollah
Syrian Resistance
Syrian Social Nationalist Party
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War

Kata'ib Ansar al-Sham (Arabic: كتائب أنصار الشام, Supporters of the Levant Battalions) is an armed Sunni Islamist rebel group active in the Syrian Civil War, mainly fighting against Syrian government forces.[6]

  1. ^ a b Sinjab, Lina (17 October 2013). "Syria crisis: Guide to armed and political opposition". BBC. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  2. ^ Image ytimg.com
  3. ^ a b "Rebels Reopen the Latakia Front". Institute for the Study of War. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Tam Hussein (24 March 2014). "The Ansar al-Sham Battalions". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  5. ^ Aaron Y. Zelin (4 February 2013). "The Syrian Islamic Front: A New Extremist Force". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  6. ^ a b "A Power Move by Syria's Rebel Forces". Institute for the Study of War. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  7. ^ "استجابة للمطالب الشعبية.. "أنصار الشام" تندمج بـ"جيش الإسلام" - شبكة بلدي الإعلامية". Baladi News Network. 15 December 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  8. ^ "New statement from Hayy'at Taḥrīr al-Shām: "Katā'ib Anṣār al-Shām Joins Hayy'at Taḥrīr al-Shām"". Jihadology. 7 February 2017.
  9. ^ "Regime Regains Ground on the Coast". Institute for the Study of War. 22 August 2013. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  10. ^ "Syrie: combats féroces autour d'un point de passage avec la Turquie". AFP. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.