Jund al-Aqsa

Jund al-Aqsa
جند الأقصى
Flag of Jund al-Aqsa Emblem of Jund al-Aqsa
Leaders	Abu Dhar al-Najdi al-Harethi[1] Abu Abdul Aziz al-Qatari †[2] Abu Musab al-Ansari † Said Arif †[3] Abu Diab al-Sarmini[4] (formerly)[5]
Dates of operation	January 2014 – 22 February 2017
Group(s)	Ansar ut-Turkistan (formerly)[6]
Headquarters	Sarmin, Idlib Governorate, Syria (2015–17)[3] Khan Shaykhun, Idlib Governorate, Syria (Feb. 2017)[7][8]
Active regions	Hama Governorate, Syria Idlib Governorate, Syria[9] Aleppo Governorate, Syria[10]
Ideology	Salafist jihadism[11]
Size	1,000+ (2014)[10] 600 (2015)[12] 800 (before October 2016)[13][14] 1,600 (late 2016)[14][better source needed] 2,100 (February 2017)[15][better source needed]
Part of	Muhajirin wa-Ansar Alliance (2014–2015)[9] Army of Conquest (2015–2017)[16] al-Qaeda (2014–17) Al-Nusra Front (2014 & 2016–2017)
Allies	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria Jaysh al-Sunna[17][better source needed]
Opponents	State opponents Syria Iran Russia United States[3] Other opponents rebel groups Ahrar al-Sham Suqour al-Sham Brigade Sham Legion Free Syrian Army Tahrir al-Sham Jabhat ansar al sham
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War 2014 Hama offensive 2014 Idlib offensive Al-Nusra Front–SRF/Hazzm Movement conflict Second Battle of Idlib[18] Insurgency in Idlib 2015 Hama offensive 2016 Khanasir offensive 2016 Hama offensive October 2016 Idlib Governorate clashes Idlib Governorate clashes (2017) Military intervention against ISIL American-led intervention in Syria Russian military intervention in Syria
Preceded by Sarayat al-Quds (part of al-Nusra Front) Succeeded by * Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Majority joined in February 2017) Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria (some factions) Guardians of Religion (some factions) (part of Al-Qaeda's central command)[19][better source needed] Ansar al-Tawhid[20] Guardians of Religion Organization[21]

Jund al-Aqsa (Arabic: جند الأقصى Jund al-‘Aqṣā, "Soldiers of al-Aqsa"), later known as Liwa al-Aqsa after 7 February 2017,^[22][7] was a Salafist jihadist organization that was active during the Syrian Civil War.^[9] Formerly known as Sarayat al-Quds, the group was founded by Abu Abdul 'Aziz al-Qatari as a subunit within the al-Nusra Front.^[10] The group later became independent, because al-Nusra was growing too rapidly for its resources and had suffered from fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.^[10] On 20 September 2016 the U.S. Department of State designated Jund al-Aqsa as a terrorist organization.^[23] The group rejoined al-Nusra Front, by then renamed Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS), in October 2016.^[4] However, on 23 January 2017, JFS declared that Jund Al-Aqsa was no longer part of Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham.^[24][25] In early February 2017, some of Jund al-Aqsa's units joined the newly formed Tahrir al-Sham, while the others refused and formed a new splinter group called Liwa al-Aqsa, and captured many towns in northern Hama and southern Idlib from other rebel groups. Following these attacks, Tahrir al-Sham launched a military operation against Liwa al-Aqsa, accusing them of being an ISIL affiliate.^[26] Following intense clashes with Tahrir al-Sham, up to 2,100 Liwa al-Aqsa militants left Idlib Province to join ISIL in Raqqa Province, by 22 February 2017.^[7]