Jaysh al-Nukhba

Jaysh al-Nukhba
جيش النخبة‎
Elite Army
Leaders
  • Mohammed al-Ghabi (DOW)[1]
  • Alaa Abdel Hay al-Ahmad[2]
  • Raed al-Elewi[3]
  • Mohammed Ahmed al-Sayed[4] (artillery regiment and overall commander since January 2017)
  • Zakaria al-Ahmad[4] (media office director)
Dates of operation24 February 2016 – present[5]
Group(s)
  • Levant Front (Hama)
  • 9th Brigade
  • 115th Brigade
  • Northern Sector (145th Brigade) (part of the SNA and not the NFL)

Former:

  • 46th Division
  • 312th Division
  • 314th Division
Headquarters
Active regionsNorthwestern Syria
Size3,000[4] (self-claim, 2017)
Part of
Allies
Opponents
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War
Preceded by
Liberation Army (Jaysh al-Tahrir)

The Jaysh al-Nukhba (Elite Army (Arabic: جيش النخبة‎), formerly called the Liberation Army (Arabic: جيش التحرير‎: Jaysh al-Tahrir) is a group operating in the Hama and Aleppo Governorates, backed and supported by Turkey.[8] The group was formed from five units, some of which received BGM-71 TOW missiles from the United States.[9]

  1. ^ "Nusra captures leader, fighters of Western-backed rebels in northern Syria". Reuters. 3 July 2016.
  2. ^ "(PLA) chooses a new leader created for Gabi". All4Syria. 11 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Hero's welcome for first Russian warplanes back from Syria". The National. 15 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b c ""Liberation Army" declares restructured and changed its name to the "elite army"". SMART News Agency. 8 January 2017. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Five Factions Merge under the Name "Jaish Al Tahrir"". RFS Media Office. 24 February 2016. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  6. ^ Hogir Nejjae (24 January 2018). "Kurdish National Council participates in aggression against Afrin". Hawar News Agency. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  7. ^ "11 FSA Factions in New Command in of "National Front Liberation"". Syria Call. 28 May 2018. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  8. ^ "Infographic: The Most Important Turkish-backed Groups Operating in Northern Syria". IWN. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  9. ^ "THE MODERATE REBELS: A GROWING LIST OF VETTED GROUPS FIELDING BGM-71 TOW ANTI-TANK GUIDED MISSILES". Hasan Mustafas. 5 October 2015.