Jabhat Ansar al-Islam

Not to be confused with Ansaru.
For other uses, see Ansar ul Islam (disambiguation).

  • Jabhat Ansar al-Islam
  • Supporters of Islam Front
جبهة أنصار الإسلام
Leaders
  • Abu Muhammad al-Jolani[1]
  • Abu al-Majd al-Jolani (POW)[2]
  • Bashar Abu Shihab (POW)[3]
  • Abu Mu'adh al-Agha (spokesman of Tajamu Ansar al-Islam, 2012–13)[4]
Dates of operation
  • 8 August 2012 – late 2013 (Tajamu Ansar al-Islam)
  • 31 March 2014 – present (Jabhat Ansar al-Islam)
Group(s)Jabhat Ansar al-Islam:[5]

Former, Tajamu Ansar al-Islam:

Active regions
IdeologySunni Islamism[2][6]
Part of
Allies
OpponentsSyrian Armed Forces Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War
Preceded by
Tajamu Ansar al-Islam (Gathering of Supporters of Islam, 2012–13)[5]

Jabhat Ansar al-Islam (Arabic: جبهة أنصار الإسلام; Supporters of Islam Front), originally formed as Tajamu' Ansar al-Islam (Arabic: تجمع أنصار الإسلام; Assembly of the Supporters of Islam) in August 2012, is an independent Sunni Islamist Syrian rebel group active in the Quneitra and Daraa Governorates.

Jabhat Ansar al-Islam is among dozens of Syrian rebel groups that have in the past been supplied with US-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles and Soviet-made 9K32 Strela-2 MANPADS with US approval.[8]

  1. ^ a b "Syria's New Super-Opposition Coalition Unites Moderates, Islamists -- And Leaves US With Limited Allies". International Business Times. 5 December 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (6 February 2015). "ISIS and Syria's Southern Front". Middle East Institute.
  3. ^ Joško Barić. "Syrian War Daily – 30th of May 2018". Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b "A spokesman for the Gathering of Supporters of Islam to Orient: Daraya became the regime's node". Orient News. 1 February 2013.
  5. ^ a b c "Jabhat Ansar al-Islam announces establishment of a sector in Idlib". Al-Souria. 21 February 2015. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  6. ^ a b c "The Moderate Rebels: A Complete and Growing List of Vetted Groups". Democratic Revolution, Syrian Style. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  7. ^ "Free army factions in the south announce the formation of the "National Front for the Liberation of Syria"". El-Dorar al-Shamia. 22 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Syria war: Rebel group supplied with anti-air missiles". Middle East Eye. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2022.