Ansar al-Sharia (Syria)

Ansar al-Sharia
أنصار الشريعة
Dates of operation2 July 2015[1]–Late 2015/early 2016 (defunct)
HeadquartersAleppo
Active regionsAleppo Governorate, Syria
IdeologySunni Islamism
Allies Fatah Halab[2]
Opponents Syrian Armed Forces

Syrian Democratic Forces[2]

Battles and warsSyrian Civil War

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]

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]

  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Syria military resists major rebel assault in Aleppo". BBC News. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  4. ^ a b Cafarella & Casagrande 2015, p. 3.