Jaysh al-Jihad
Jaysh al-Jihad (Jihad Army) was an Islamic State group based in Quneitra Governorate. The group formed from the merger of 7 small independent groups and factions that defected from Nusra Front after it clashed with the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade in December 2014. These groups were: Jihad Brigades, Jamaat Jund al-Islam, Jamaat Abu Baseer, Mujahideen of al-Sham movement, Jamaat Shabab Ahl al-Sunnah, Nurayn Brigade, and Jamaat Bunyan al-Marsous.[1]
Jaysh al-Jihad | |
---|---|
جيش الجهاد | |
Leaders | Abu Mussab Al-Fanussy |
Dates of operation | February 2015[1] – 21 May 2016 |
Headquarters | Al-Qahtaniyah, Quneitra[1] |
Active regions | Quneitra Governorate and Daraa Governorate, Syria[1] |
Ideology | Salafi Jihadism |
Size | 500[1] |
Part of | Islamic State (allegedly) |
Allies | Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade |
Opponents | |
Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War |
The group had been accused by other Syrian rebel groups of being affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).[6][7] In April 2015, violent clashes broke out between the group and the Free Syrian Army and al-Nusra Front, after Jaish al-Jihad militants ambushed and killed six FSA fighters at a checkpoint in Quneitra.[8] By 6 May 2015, Nusra and other rebel groups announced that they had cleared al-Qahtaniyah and Quneitra city of Jaysh al-Jihad forces.[1]
In May 2016, remnants of Jaysh al-Jihad joined with two other Pro-ISIL factions in Southern Syria, the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade and Islamic Muthanna Movement, to form the Khalid ibn al-Walid Army.[9]
References
- "The Islamic State in Southern Syria" (PDF). Carter Center. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
- "Islamist fighters seize southern Syria crossing: monitor". Reuters. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- "Jihadists clash with Syrian rebels along Israel's border". AP. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- "Rebels fight ISIS-linked group near Israeli-occupied Golan". AFP. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- "Syrian rebels expel ISIS from town near Israeli border". ARA News. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- "«جيش الجهاد».. هل هو خلايا نائمة لـ«داعش» في درعا والقنيطرة؟". Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- "دوت مصر - 7 فصائل سورية تعلن إنشاء "جيش الجهاد"". دوت مصر. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- "The emergence of IS in southern Syria". Middle East Eye. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
- "Far from Raqqa and Fallujah, Syria rebels open new front against ISIL in the south". The National. 29 May 2016.