Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades

Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades
ألوية أحفاد الرسول
Leaders
Dates of operationJuly 2012–early 2014 (defunct)[4]
Active regionsSyria
IdeologySunni Islamism[7]

Syrian nationalism (factions)

Secularism (factions)
Size7,000–9,000[9]
Part ofSyrian Islamic Liberation Front (2012-2013)
Euphrates Islamic Liberation Front (2014)[10]
Supreme Military Council (2012–14)[6]
Free Syrian Army (2012)[1]
Allies Qatar
 France (Allegedly)
Kurdish Islamic Front (formerly)[11]
Ahrar ash-Sham[12]
Al-Nusra Front[11] (until August 2013)[2]
Ansar al-Islam[13]
People's Protection Units (occasionally)[14]
Opponents Syria
 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (since August 2013)
Al-Nusra Front (since August 2013)[2]
Ahrar al-Sham (2013)
People's Protection Units (2012–14)[11]
Battles and warsSyrian civil war
Succeeded by
*Idlib branch Syrian Revolutionaries Front
  • Northern Aleppo branch: Army of Grandsons
  • Deir ez-Zor branch: 77th Division

The Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades (Arabic: ألوية أحفاد الرسول Al-wiat Aḥfād ar-Rasūl, "Grandsons of the Prophet Brigades") was a Syrian rebel group fighting against the Syrian government in the Syrian Civil War. It was funded by the Qatari government.[15][16]

  1. ^ a b O'Bagy, Elizabeth (24 March 2013). "The Free Syrian Army" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Basma Atassi (17 December 2013). "Syrian fighter defects to Qaeda-linked group". Al Jazeera English.
  3. ^ Alice Martins (23 September 2013). "Watching Syrian Rebels Fight Among Themselves for the City of Raqqa". Vice.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference CEIP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Lund, Aron (27 August 2013). "The Non-State Militant Landscape in Syria". CTC Sentinel. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  6. ^ a b "The end of the rebel alliance?". Al Jazeera English. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Alwiya Ahfaad ar-Rasool: A Growing Force in the Syrian Armed Opposition | Fair Observer°". Fairobserver.com. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  8. ^ Brown Moses (31 December 2012). "Video Appears To Show A Syrian Army Soldier Executed By Ahfad al-Rasul Brigade For Heresy".
  9. ^ "Syria crisis: Guide to armed and political opposition". BBC. 13 December 2013.
  10. ^ "The new face of the Syrian rebellion". The Arab Chronicle. 5 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-25. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  11. ^ a b c Bill Roggio (26 July 2013). "Qatar-funded Syrian rebel brigade backs al Qaeda groups in Syria". Long War Journal.
  12. ^ "Syrian Kurds' struggle for autonomy threatens rebel effort to oust Assad". New York Times. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  13. ^ "Bomb explosion hits security area of Damascus: activists". Reuters. 12 October 2012.
  14. ^ Barak Barfi (18 December 2013). "The Fractious Politics of Syria's Kurds". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
  15. ^ "The Structure and Organization of the Syrian Opposition". Center for American Progress. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  16. ^ Basma Atassi (16 December 2013). "Syrian fighter defects to Qaeda-linked group - Features". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 19 May 2014.