Syrian Islamic Liberation Front

Not to be confused with Syrian Islamic Front or Syrian Liberation Front.
Syrian Islamic Liberation Front
جبهة تحرير سوريا الإسلامية
Jabha Tahrir Suriya al Islamiyyah
LeadersAhmed Eissa al-Sheikh (Suqour al-Sham)
Zahran Alloush (spokesperson) (WIA) (Liwa al-Islam)
Dates of operationSeptember 2012 – 25 November 2013
Group(s)
HeadquartersSarjeh, Idlib Governorate
Active regionsSyria
IdeologySunni Islamism[1]
Size35,000–40,000 (own claim)[3][4]
(June 2013)
Allies Free Syrian Army
Syrian Islamic Front
Al-Nusra Front (formerly)[5]
Opponents Syria
Shabiha[6]
Hezbollah
 Iran
People's Protection Units (YPG)[6]
Jabhat Ghuraba al-Sham[7]
Battles and warsSyrian civil war
Succeeded by
Islamic Front

The Syrian Islamic Liberation Front (SILF; Arabic: جبهة تحرير سوريا الإسلامية, "Jabhat Tahrīr Sūriya al-Islāmiyyah") was a coalition of Syrian Islamist rebel groups that fought against the Syrian government in the Syrian Civil War. At the end of 2012, it was one of the strongest rebel coalitions in Syria,[8] representing up to half of the rebel forces.[3]

In late November 2013, Suqour al-Sham, Al-Tawhid Brigade and Jaysh al-Islam, the largest and most influential members of the Front, announced that they were joining the Islamic Front,[9] greatly weakening SILF.[10] On 25 November 2013, a statement appeared on the Front's website announcing that it was ceasing all operations.[11] The Syrian Islamic Liberation Front was thought to be more moderate than the Ahrar al-Sham-led Syrian Islamic Front, and also closer Arab Gulf States than the Syrian Islamic Front which was closer to Turkey and Qatar.[12][13]

  1. ^ Sowell, Kirk (3 September 2013). "The fragmenting FSA". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  2. ^ "Syrian Opposition Condemns Jihadists Targeting Alawites". Al Monitor. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  3. ^ a b Karouny, Mariam (11 October 2012). "Syria's Islamist rebels join forces against Assad". Reuters. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  4. ^ Aron Lund (17 June 2013). "Freedom fighters? Cannibals? The truth about Syria's rebels". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-26. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  5. ^ "Syrian Rebels Break With Group Over Qaeda Wing Alliance". NY Times. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Insurgents Declare War on Syria's Kurds". SyriaReport. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  7. ^ "Warring Syrian rebel groups abduct each other's members". Times of Israel. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  8. ^ "Syria's Secular and Islamist Rebels: Who Are the Saudis and the Qataris Arming?". Time Magazine. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  9. ^ "Leading Syrian rebel groups form new Islamic Front". BBC. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference guide was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "بيان حل جبهة تحرير سورية الإسلامية | جبهة تحرير سورية الإسلامية". Syrialiberationfront.net. 2013-11-25. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  12. ^ "Syria's moderate rebels wane as extremist forces dominate". 31 July 2013.
  13. ^ "Fallout from the Fall of Taftanaz".