Narrative
Narrative of the Organization's History
Narrative of the Organization's History
Leadership, Name Changes, Size Estimates, Resources, Geographic Locations
Ideology, Aims, Political Activities, Targets, and Tactics
First Attacks, Largest Attacks, Notable Attacks
Foreign Designations and Listings, Community Relations, Relations with Other Groups, State Sponsors and External Influences
Mapping relationships with other militant groups over time in regional maps
Liwa al-Tawhid sought to replace the Assad Regime with a moderate Islamic state that had a basis in Shariah law, but included civilian rule, elections, and protection for minorities.[29]
Liwa al-Tawhid was hostile to negotiations with the Assad Regime. On September 23, 2013, it joined the Islamic Coalition, a political group that called for the opposition to the Assad Regime to be run only by groups fighting inside Syria and opposed the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.[30] Liwa al-Tawhid subsequently left the Free Syrian Army’s Supreme Military Council, which continued to support the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces’ negotiations with the Assad Regime.[31] Additionally, the group claimed that the Geneva II peace conference, a UN-sponsored conference that included the Assad Regime and the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, was an attempt to “extend the life of the [Assad] Regime” or replace it with a similar regime.[32]
Like many opposition groups, Liwa al-Tawhid uses IEDs and Kalashnikov rifles in battles against the Syrian army.[33]
Disclaimer: These are some selected major attacks in the militant organization's history. It is not a comprehensive listing but captures some of the most famous attacks or turning points during the campaign.
July 29, 2012: Liwa al-Tawhid and other opposition forces seized portions of Aleppo from the Assad Regime in July 2012. Liwa al-Tawhid’s commander Abdel Qader Saleh claimed that the group controlled more than 40% of the city of Aleppo’s neighborhoods. (unknown casualties).[34]
April 22, 2013: Liwa al-Tawhid and Jabhat al-Nusra (Al-Nusra) cooperated with the Nasser Salahuddin Brigade, Dera’ al-Assima, and Liwa al-Habib al Mustafa in a series of attacks against Syrian army units and outposts in the Damascus countryside. According to Al-Nusra, the militants destroyed several tanks and killed over 150 Syrian soldiers. (150+ killed, unknown wounded).[35]
May 2013: Liwa al-Tawhid participated in a joint offensive with multiple opposition groups, including Al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham, against Assad Regime military camps in the Idlib countryside. (unknown casualties).[36]
January 2014: Liwa al-Tawhid drove the Islamic State (IS) out of the city of Aleppo. During its retreat, IS reportedly shot and killed the detainees it was holding in a hospital basement. (40-50 killed, unknown wounded).[37]
March 9, 2014: Liwa al-Tawhid and Al-Nusra pushed IS out of Azaz, a crucial boarder town with Turkey in the province of Aleppo. (unknown casualties).[38]
Liwa al-Tawhid was not a designated terrorist organization.
Since December 2015, the UN Security Council has been trying to assemble a list of terrorist groups in Syria. Russia, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates support classifying Liwa al-Tawhid as a terrorist group, but they have not been able to achieve a unanimous consensus.[39]
While no reports indicate a formal affiliation with Al Qaeda (AQ), Liwa al-Tawhid coordinated attacks with AQ affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra.[40]
Liwa al-Tawhid initially cooperated with the Islamic State (IS) and successfully negotiated a ceasefire between IS and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Azaz, a city in the province of Aleppo, in September 2013.[41] However, Liwa al-Tawhid along with its Islamic Front umbrella group allies began targeting IS in early 2014.[42] Clashes erupted between IS and Liwa al-Tawhid in January 2014 when Liwa al-Tawhid drove IS out of the city of Aleppo.[43] In response to growing hostility with Liwa al-Tawhid and other militant groups, IS began targeting the leaders of opposition groups and killed prominent Liwa al-Tawhid member Adnan Bakour.[44]
Liwa al-Tawhid initially pledged allegiance to the Free Syrian Army (FSA), and it supported the FSA’s creation of a Supreme Military Council (SMC) in December 2012 and joined the Syrian Islamic Liberation Front (SILF), an SMC-linked umbrella organization, in January 2013. However, Liwa al-Tawhid often acted independently of FSA-affiliated groups.[45] It began to distance itself from the FSA and SMC when the SMC’s political wing, the Syrian National Council (SNC), joined the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.[46] On September 23, 2013, Liwa al-Tawhid joined the Islamic Coalition, a political group that called for the opposition to the Assad Regime to be run only by groups fighting inside Syria and opposed the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.[47] Liwa al-Tawhid subsequently left the SMC, which continued to support the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces’ negotiations with the Assad Regime.[48] In November 2013, Liwa al-Tawhid left the SILF in order to join the Islamic Front.[49]
Liwa al-Tawhid was an active member in the Islamic Front, an umbrella group of 40,000-70,000 fighters that sought to replace the Assad Regime with an Islamic government.[50] Liwa al-Tawhid helped found the Islamic Front in December 2013, and Liwa al-Tawhid’s Abu Omar Hureitan was appointed as the Deputy Leader of the Islamic Front’s Shura council.[51] After the Islamic Front umbrella group collapsed in mid-2014 due to disagreements between Ahrar al-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam, Liwa al-Tawhid merged with other former Islamic Front units in Aleppo and continued operating under the name Islamic Front, not to be confused with the Islamic Front umbrella group.[52] While the Islamic Front umbrella group dissolved, many of its member groups’ fighters began defecting to IS. In particular, multiple Liwa al-Tawhid brigades either became defunct or began cooperating with IS. One of the most prominent former Liwa al-Tawhid battalions to cooperate with IS is the Manbij Martyrs Battalion.[53]
Liwa al-Tawhid received funding from France, Qatar, and Turkey. Additionally, some analysts claim that Saudi Arabia played a large role in establishing the Islamic Front, an umbrella group that included Liwa al-Tawhid and had 40,000-70,000 members at its peak, which made it Syria’s largest alliance of opposition forces.[54]
[1] Pannell, Ian. "Syria: Fear and Hunger amid Battle for Aleppo." BBC News. N.p., 29 July 2012. Web. 01 Aug. 2014
[2] Beals, Emma. “Sigh of relief after ISIL retreat.” Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, 9 Mar. 2014. Web. 8 Jul. 2016.
[3] Syzbala, Valerie. A Power Move by Syria's Rebel Forces. Rep. Institute for the Study of War, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 July 2014.
[4] Syzbala, Valerie. A Power Move by Syria's Rebel Forces. Rep. Institute for the Study of War, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 July 2014.
[5] Sinjab, Lina. "Guide to the Syrian Rebels." BBC News. N.p., 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 July 2014.
[6] "Top Syrian Rebel Commander Dies." BBC News. N.p., 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 30 July 2014.
[7] Lund, Aron. "Fighting in Aleppo, Resisting Geneva: An Interview With the Tawhid Brigade." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. N.p., 2 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 July 2014.; Sinjab, Lina. "Guide to the Syrian Rebels." BBC News. N.p., 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 July 2014.
[8] “Key Syrian rebels reject National Coalition.” Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, 25 Sep. 2013. Web. 7 Jul. 2016
[9] “Guide to the Syria rebels.” BBC News. BBC News, 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 8 Jul. 2016
[10] Syzbala, Valerie. A Power Move by Syria's Rebel Forces. Rep. Institute for the Study of War, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 July 2014.
[11] Al-Tamini, Aymenn Jawad. “The Dawn of Freedom Brgiades: Analysis and Interview.” Syria Comment. Joshua Landis, 2 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Jul. 2016.
[12] Barnard, Anne, and Rick Gladstone. “Rebel Infighting Spreads to an Eastern Syrian City.” New York Times. N.p., 6 Jan. 2014. Web. 8 Jul. 2016.
[13] Gilbert, Ben. “Rebel infighting kills thousands of Syrians.” Al Jazeera America. Al Jazeera, 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 8 Jul. 2016.
[14] "U.S. Tanks in Putin's Backyard; Stealth Planes to South China Sea." Foreign Policy. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2016.; “The U.S. Wants To Design Safer Anti-Aircraft Missiles for Syria's Rebels." Foreign Policy The US Wants To Design Safer AntiAircraft Missiles for Syrias Rebels Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2016.
[15] Lund, Aron. "The Levant Front: Can Aleppo's Rebels Unite?" Syria in Crisis. The Carnegie Endowment For International Peace. 26 Dec. 2014. Web. 12 Jul. 2016.; Lund, Aron. "Fighting in Aleppo, Resisting Geneva: An Interview With the Tawhid Brigade." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. N.p., 2 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 July 2014.; Lund, Aron. “The Levant Front: Can Aleppo’s Rebels Unite?” Syria in Crisis. Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 26 Dec. 2014. Web. 8 Jul. 2016.
[16] Lund, Aron. "The Non-State Militant Landscape in Syria." CTC Sentinel. The Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point, 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 28 July 2014.; Lund, Aron. “The Death of Abdelqader Saleh.” Syria Comment. Joshua Landis, 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 7 Jul. 2016.; Lund, Aron. "Fighting in Aleppo, Resisting Geneva: An Interview With the Tawhid Brigade." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. N.p., 2 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 July 2014.
[17] "Top Syrian Rebel Commander Dies." BBC News. N.p., 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 30 July 2014. "Syrian Air Raid Kills Rebel Commander in Aleppo: Activists." Reuters. N.p., 14 Nov. 2013. Web. 01 Aug. 2014.
[18] Chulov, Martin. "France Funding Syrian Rebels in New Push to Oust Assad." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 2012. Web. 17 May 2016.
[19] Syzbala, Valerie. A Power Move by Syria's Rebel Forces. Rep. Institute for the Study of War, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 July 2014.
[20] Sinjab, Lina. "Guide to the Syrian Rebels." BBC News. N.p., 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 July 2014.
[21] “Maybe We Live and Maybe We Die: Recruitment and Use of Children by Armed Groups in Syria.” Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch, 22 Jun. 2014. Web. 7 Jul. 2016.
[22] Chulov, Martin. "France Funding Syrian Rebels in New Push to Oust Assad." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 2012. Web. 17 May 2016.
[23] Spencer, Richard. "US-backed Militia Groups Now Fighting Each Other in Syria." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, n.d. Web. 17 May 2016.
[24] " U.S. Tanks in Putin's Backyard; Stealth Planes to South China Sea." Foreign Policy. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2016.
[25] " U.S. Tanks in Putin's Backyard; Stealth Planes to South China Sea." Foreign Policy. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2016.; “The U.S. Wants To Design Safer Anti-Aircraft Missiles for Syria's Rebels." Foreign Policy The US Wants To Design Safer AntiAircraft Missiles for Syrias Rebels Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2016.
[26] “Maybe We Live and Maybe We Die: Recruitment and Use of Children by Armed Groups in Syria.” Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch, 22 Jun. 2014. Web. 7 Jul. 2016.
[27] Syzbala, Valerie. A Power Move by Syria's Rebel Forces. Rep. Institute for the Study of War, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 July 2014.; Pannell, Ian. "Syria: Fear and Hunger amid Battle for Aleppo." BBC News. N.p., 29 July 2012. Web. 01 Aug. 2014.
[28] Roggio, Bill. "Al Nusrah Front Claims Joint Operations, including a Suicide Assault, with Syrian Rebel Groups." Long War Journal. Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, 29 June 2013. Web. 04 Aug. 2014.; Roggio, Bill. "Al Nusrah Front Launches Joint Assaults with Numerous Syrian Rebel Groups." Long War Journal. Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, 31 July 2013. Web. 04 Aug. 2014.
[29] Syzbala, Valerie. A Power Move by Syria's Rebel Forces. Rep. Institute for the Study of War, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 July 2014.
[30] “Key Syrian rebels reject National Coalition.” Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, 25 Sep. 2013. Web. 7 Jul. 2016.
[31] Lund, Aron. “Fighting in Aleppo, Resisting Geneva: An Interview With the Tawhid Brigade.” Carnegie Endowment For International Peace. Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 2 Jan. 2014. Web. 7 Jul. 2016.
[32] Lund, Aron. “Fighting in Aleppo, Resisting Geneva: An Interview With the Tawhid Brigade.” Carnegie Endowment For International Peace. Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 2 Jan. 2014. Web. 7 Jul. 2016; “What is the Geneva II conference on Syria?” BBC News. BBC, 22 Jan. 2014. Web. 29 Jun, 2016.
[33] Pannell, Ian. "Syria: Fear and Hunger amid Battle for Aleppo." BBC News. N.p., 29 July 2012. Web. 01 Aug. 2014.
[34] Pannell, Ian. "Syria: Fear and Hunger amid Battle for Aleppo." BBC News. N.p., 29 July 2012. Web. 01 Aug. 2014.
[35] Roggio, Bill. "Al Nusrah Front Claims Joint Operations, including a Suicide Assault, with Syrian Rebel Groups." Long War Journal. Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, 29 June 2013. Web. 04 Aug. 2014.
[36] Roggio, Bill. "Al Nusrah Front Launches Joint Assaults with Numerous Syrian Rebel Groups." Long War Journal. Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, 31 July 2013. Web. 04 Aug. 2014. <http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/07/al_nusrah_front_laun_1.php>.
[37] "Summary Executions, Torture, Makeshift Courts in Syria: UN Reveals Horrific Details." RT International. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2016.
[38] Beals, Emma. “Sigh of relief after ISIL retreat.” Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, 9 Mar. 2014. Web. 8 Jul. 2016.
[39] Miles, Tom and Irish, John. “Syrian terrorist list produces 163 names and no agreement.” Reuters. Thomas Reuters, 17 Feb. 2016. Web. 28 May. 2016.; “Countries List Of Armed Groups Acting In Syria.” Reuters. Thomas Reuters, 2016. Web. 7 May. 2016
[40] Roggio, Bill. "Al Nusrah Front Claims Joint Operations, including a Suicide Assault, with Syrian Rebel Groups." Long War Journal. Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, 29 June 2013. Web. 04 Aug. 2014.
[41] Syzbala, Valerie. A Power Move by Syria's Rebel Forces. Rep. Institute for the Study of War, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 July 2014.
[42] Barnard, Anne, and Rick Gladstone. “Rebel Infighting Spreads to an Eastern Syrian City.” New York Times. N.p., 6 Jan. 2014. Web. 8 Jul. 2016.
[43] "Summary Executions, Torture, Makeshift Courts in Syria: UN Reveals Horrific Details." RT International. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2016.
[44] Al-Qaeda fighters kill Syrian rebel leaders.” Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, 2 Feb. 2014. Web. 8 Jul. 2016
[45] Lund, Aron. "Fighting in Aleppo, Resisting Geneva: An Interview With the Tawhid Brigade." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. N.p., 2 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 July 2014.; Sinjab, Lina. "Guide to the Syrian Rebels." BBC News. N.p., 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 July 2014.
[46] Roggio, Bill. "Free Syrian Army Units Ally with Al Qaeda, Reject Syrian National Coalition, and Call for Sharia." Long War Journal. Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 04 Aug. 2014. “The Syrian National Council.” Syria in Crisis. Carnegie Foundation For International Peace. Web. 8 Jul. 2016
[47] “Key Syrian rebels reject National Coalition.” Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, 25 Sep. 2013. Web. 7 Jul. 2016
[48] Lund, Aron. “Fighting in Aleppo, Resisting Geneva: An Interview With the Tawhid Brigade.” Carnegie Endowment For International Peace. Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 2 Jan. 2014. Web. 7 Jul. 2016
[49] “Guide to the Syria rebels.” BBC News. BBC News, 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 8 Jul. 2016
[50] Lund, Aron. The Politics of the Islamic Front, Part 1: Structure and Support." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. N.p., 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 Jul. 2014.; Hassan, Hassan. “Front to Back.” Foreign Policy. The FP Group, 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 7 May, 2016.
[51] Lund, Aron. "Fighting in Aleppo, Resisting Geneva: An Interview With the Tawhid Brigade." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. N.p., 2 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 July 2014.; "Guide to the Syrian Rebels." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2016.
[52] Lund, Aron. “The Levant Front: Can Aleppo’s Rebels Unite?” Syria in Crisis. Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 26 Dec. 2014. Web. 8 Jul. 2016
[53] Al-Tamini, Aymenn Jawad. “The Dawn of Freedom Brgiades: Analysis and Interview.” Syria Comment. Joshua Landis, 2 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Jul. 2016.
[54] Hussein, Tam. "The Ansar Al-Sham Battalions." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. N.p., 24 Mar. 2014. Web. 07 Aug. 2014.; Lund, Aron. The Politics of the Islamic Front, Part 1: Structure and Support." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. N.p., 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 Jul. 2014.