19th Division (Syrian rebel group)

The 19th Division (Arabic: الفرقة 19‎) was a Syrian rebel group which fought in the Syrian Civil War. The group was created in June 2013 in the western countryside of the Aleppo Governorate as a part of a foreign-funded project to unify local Free Syrian Army-affiliated factions into bigger factions.[1]

19th Division
الفرقة 19
LeadersLt. Col. Muhammad Abdel Qadur Bakur (nom de guerre: "Abu Bakr")[1]
Dates of operation
  • June 2013 – ?[1]
  • September 2012 – ? (Ansar Brigade)
Group(s)
  • Ansar Brigade
  • Supporters of the Caliphate Brigade
  • Supporters of Sharia Brigade
  • Khan al-Asal Free Brigades
  • Ash-Shuyukh Brigade
  • Muhajireen Brigade
Active regionsAleppo Governorate[2]
IdeologySunni Islamism[3]
Part ofArmy of Mujahideen
Allies
Opponents
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War

History
Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Juma Abdul Qader Bakur (nom de guerre "Abu Bakr"), commander of the 19th Division and the Army of Mujahideen

In September 2012, the Ansar Brigade (Arabic: لواء الانصار‎, Liwa al-Ansar) was formed as part of the Mutasim Billah Brigades in the western Aleppo countryside.[4] The group was known for producing improvised fighting vehicles.[5] In June 2013, the group joined several other rebel groups in the area and formed the 19th Division.[1]

In late June 2013, a rebel court in Darat Izza arrested a media activist after he criticized Lt. Col. Muhammad Bakur, commander of the Ansar Brigade of the 19th Division. The arrest was condemned by an opposition court in Atarib, which demanded the Darat Izza court to release him.[6]

On 22 July 2013, the Supporters of the Caliphate Brigade, part of the 19th Division, along with al-Qaeda's al-Nusra Front, took part in a massacre of 51 Syrian Army soldiers in Khan al-Asal.[7]

On 25 September 2013, the 19th Division signed a statement, along with 12 other Syrian rebel groups, in which it rejected any foreign-based opposition group, including the Syrian National Council.[3]

See also

References
  1. "The Mujahedeen Army of Aleppo". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  2. "Syria: Army of the Mujahideen Challenges ISIS Gains". Al Akhbar. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  3. "Key Syrian rebels reject National Coalition". Al Jazeera English. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  4. "Formation of the Mutasim Billah Brigades of the Free Army". Free Sarmada. 9 September 2012.
  5. "DIY Weapons of the Syrian Rebels". The Atlantic. 20 February 2013.
  6. "Media arrest in Aleppo for criticizing the commander of a brigade in the free". Zaman al-Wasl. 1 July 2013.
  7. The New York Times, 27 July 2013, Soldiers’ Mass Execution Reported by Syria Group


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