Formed: September 29, 2013[1]

Disbanded: Group is active.

First Attack: July 2014: Jaysh al-Islam drove the Islamic State (IS) out of Eastern Ghouta in the province of Damascus (unknown casualties).[2]

Last Attack: April 7, 2016: Jaysh al-Islam allegedly used chemical weapons in an attack on the People’s Protection Units and other Kurdish forces in Aleppo. The group denied the allegations that it had employed chlorine chemical weapons and clarified that it had disciplined a commander for using “modified GRAD rockets” (160 killed or wounded).[3]

Executive Summary

Jaysh al-Islam (The Islam Army, The Islam Brigade) is a Syrian opposition group that aims to depose the Assad Regime. The group was formed in 2013 through a merger of about fifty Damascus-based opposition groups and was initially led by former Liwa al-Islam commander Zahran Alloush. The group operates in the Homs, Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Daraa, and Quneitra governorates and was an active member of the Islamic Front umbrella organization until the Islamic Front dissolved in 2014. Jaysh al-Islam opposed the Islamic State (IS) and has battled the group since July 2014 when it first ousted IS from Eastern Ghouta in Damascus. Jaysh al-Islam has also had a tense relationship with former Al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Fateh al-Sham), formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, ever since Fateh al-Sham rejected the authority of Jaysh al-Islam’s Unified Judiciary Council court system. Through late 2015 and early 2016, Jaysh al-Islam’s deteriorating ties with Fateh al-Sham and a series of other controversies have fueled political unrest in Eastern Ghouta.

Group Narrative

Jaysh al-Islam (The Islam Army, The Islam Brigade) is a Syrian opposition group that has targeted the Assad Regime, the Islamic State, and select Kurdish forces. It aims to overthrow Assad’s Syrian government. The group was formed in 2013 through a merger of about fifty Damascus-based opposition groups, including Liwa al-Islam, which remains one of the best-armed organizations and most powerful brigades within Jaysh al-Islam in the Ghouta agricultural belt. After the merger, Liwa al-Islam’s commander, Zahran Alloush, became Jaysh al-Islam’s leader, and the group replaced the Free Syrian Army as the dominant opposition force in Damascus.[4] The group also has expanded its operations to the Homs, Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Daraa, and Quneitra governorates. Additionally, it conducted an attack in Arsal, Lebanon in 2015.[5]

In November 2013, shortly after Jaysh al-Islam was established, the group helped found the Islamic Front, an umbrella organization of 40,000-70,000 fighters that sought to replace the Assad Regime with an Islamic government.[6] Jaysh al-Islam’s leader, Zahran Alloush, became the Islamic Front’s military commander.[7] However, the Islamic Front fell apart in mid-2014 due to disagreements between Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham, another Islamist opposition group and a key member of the Islamic Front.[8]

Throughout 2014, Jaysh al-Islam successfully pursued its campaign against the Islamic State (IS) and its efforts to build a unified political structure in Damascus. Jaysh al-Islam has always opposed IS and considers the group to be “enemy number one of the Syrian revolution.”[9] In its first known attack, Jaysh al-Islam openly clashed with IS and drove the group out of Eastern Ghouta in Damascus in July 2014.[10] In mid-2014, Jaysh al-Islam established the Unified Judiciary Council, a joint civilian governance body composed of scholars of Islamic law that controls the legal affairs (criminal law, family status, and civilian issues) of Damascus opposition groups. Jaysh al-Islam also founded the United Judiciary Council’s military counterpart, the Unified Military Command. Analysts refer to the Council as one of the most successful governance projects among opposition forces due to its high degree of coordination among a variety of groups and its willingness to allow civilians to pursue legal cases against military commanders.[11]

In 2015, Jaysh al-Islam began fighting the Islamic State in Lebanon. The group faced considerable unrest in Eastern Ghouta after a group of rival opposition brigades, known as the Ummah Army, tried to break away from the Council in early 2015.[12] Prominent opposition group and former Al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (Fatah al-Sham, formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) opposed the Council as well.[13] Jaysh al-Islam and Fatah al-Sham cooperated in a successful offensive to retake Jisr al-Shughur from government forces in April 2015; however, tensions reignited between the two groups in December 2015 after Jaysh al-Islam signed a statement with other opposition forces at a conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that declared their intent to begin negotiating peace terms with the Assad Regime.[14] Fateh al-Sham viewed the negotiations and the corresponding negotiation delegation as a security threat.[15] Fatah al-Sham has repeatedly been critical of Jaysh al-Islam, particularly in regards to Jaysh al-Islams participation in peace talks with the Assad regime. In response, Fateh al-Sham established the Fustat Army political alliance to challenge Jaysh al-Islam’s political dominance in Eastern Ghouta.[16]

Throughout 2015 and 2016, Jaysh al-Islam was embroiled in a series of controversies. In November 2015, the group placed Syrian soldiers and their families in 100 cages in Eastern Ghouta to deter Assad Regime attacks on civilian areas, such as market and hospitals. In response, the group faced widespread criticism within Eastern Ghouta for using soldiers as human shields.[17] Additionally, Jaysh al-Islam allegedly used chemical weapons in an attack on the People’s Protection Units and other Kurdish forces in Aleppo in April 2016. However, the group denied the allegations that it had employed chlorine chemical weapons and clarified that it had disciplined a commander for using “modified GRAD rockets.”[18] The last major controversy began when Faylaq al-Rahman, an opposition group that included the former Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union and was supported by Fateh al-Sham, claimed that Jaysh al-Islam attempted to assassinate the former chief judge of the Unified Judiciary Council.[19] In response, Jaysh al-Islam began to target Faylaq al-Rahman until the two groups reached a peace treaty in May 2016.[20]

In January 2017, Mohammad Alloush announced that he would lead an opposition delegation in peace talks with the Assad Regime in Kazakhstan.[21] Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (Fatah al-Sham, formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) was excluded from these peace talks due to its former affiliation with Al Qaeda. As a result, Fatah al-Sham began attacking militant groups that had sent representatives to the Kazakhstan peace talks. This led to a series of skirmishes in the Idlib governorate that drove smaller groups and some of Jaysh al-Islam’s Idlib fighters to join with the more powerful Ahrar al-Sham, a former Al Qaida (AQ) affiliate.[22]

On April 28, 2017, clashes erupted between Jaysh al-Islam and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (Tahrir al-Sham, formerly Fatah al-Sham) in Eastern Ghouta after Tahrir al-Sham kidnapped Jaysh al-Islam fighters who were en route to attack Assad Regime forces.[23] Separately, on May 1, 2017, Jaysh al-Islam also attacked Faylaq al-Rahman forces in an attempt to aid Tahrir al-Sham (a coalition of militant groups led by Jabhat Fateh al-Sham) and civilian protestors who called for an end to opposition infighting.[24]

In July 2017, Egypt mediated ceasefire negotiations between Jaysh al-Islam and Russian forces. After three days of negotiations, Jaysh al-Islam and the Russian Defense Ministry signed an agreement to cease hostilities and establish Russian military checkpoints in Eastern Ghouta and the city of Homs.[25] Though Jaysh al-Islam suspended attacks against Russian entities, the group was still engaged in battle with a host of other actors operating in the Syrian conflict. In August 2017, a Syrian suicide bomber killed 23 rebel fighters at the Syrian border with Jordan. The bombing took place at the Jaysh al-Islam base near Nasib. Most of those killed were Jaysh al-Islam fighters. While no groups took responsibility, in the past Islamic State jihadists have attacked rebel groups in the area.[26]

Jaysh al-Islam also faced pressures from government forces. In April and March 2018, Russian-backed government forces engaged in an offensive to retake control of Eastern Ghouta, a stronghold of Jaysh al-Islam. [27] Under pressure from pro-government forces, the group agreed to evacuate fighters from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham that were being held in Jaysh al-Islam’s prisons in Eastern Ghouta. Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam are competitors and have clashed numerous times.[28] On March 25, 2018, as part of the same month-long offensive operation, government forces reclaimed most of Eastern Ghouta. However, Jaysh al-Islam refused to officially withdraw to northern Syria for fear that the local population would be forced out.[29] This initial refusal did not persist. On April 8, 2018, Assad forces allegedly employed chemical weapons against the Jaysh al-Islam stronghold of Douma. Days later, Jaysh al-Islam reached an agreement with Russian authorities to withdraw from the area. Jaysh al-Islam promptly evacuated nearly 8,000 fighters and 40,000 of their relatives.[30] Shortly thereafter, the Syrian government announced that all anti-regime forces had left Eastern Ghouta and that the city had been reclaimed.[31]

[1] "Guide to the Syrian Rebels." BBC News. N.p., 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 05 Aug. 2014; Hassan, Hassan. "The Army of Islam Is Winning in Syria." Foreign Policy. N.p., 1 Oct. 2013. Web. 07 Aug. 2014.

[2] “Syria Countrywide Conflict Report #4.” The Carter Center. The Carter Center, 11 Sep. 2014. Web. 18 Jul. 2016.

[3] Heller, Sam. “One Kurdish Neighborhood in the Crossfire.” The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast, 15 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 Jul. 2016.

[4] "Guide to the Syrian Rebels." BBC News. N.p., 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 05 Aug. 2014; Hassan, Hassan. "The Army of Islam Is Winning in Syria." Foreign Policy. N.p., 1 Oct. 2013. Web. 07 Aug. 2014.

[5] “Syria direct: News Update 4-20-15.” Syria: direct. Syria: direct, 20 Apr. 2015. Web. 14 Jul. 2016; Heller, Sam. “One Kurdish Neighborhood in the Crossfire.” The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast, 15 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 Jul. 2016; “Syria Countrywide Conflict Report No. 5.” The Carter Center. The Carter Center, Feb. 2015. Web. 14 Jul. 2016.

[6] Hassan, Hassan. “Front to Back.” Foreign Policy. The FP Group, 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 7 May, 2016.

[7] Lund, Aron. "The Politics of the Islamic Front, Part 1: Structure and Support." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. N.p., 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 07 Aug. 2014; Lund, Aron. "The Politics of the Islamic Front, Part 3: Negotiations." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. N.p., 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 07 Aug. 2014.

[8] Lund, Aron. “Islamist Mergers in Syria: Ahrar al-Sham Swallows Suqour al-Sham.” Syria In Crisis. The Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 23 mar. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2016.

[9] MacDonald, Alex. “Rise of Jaish al-Islam marks a turn in Syrian conflict.” Middle East Eye. Middle East Eye, 7 May. 2015. Web. 18 Jul. 2016.

[10] “Syria Countrywide Conflict Report #4.”The Carter Center. The Carter Center, 11 Sep. 2014. Web. 18 Jul. 2016.

[11] Lund, Aron. “An Islamist Experiment: Political Order in East Ghouta.” Syrian In Crisis. The Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 18 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 Jul. 2016.

[12] Ali, Abdallah Suleiman. “Jaish al-Islam confronts Islamic State in Arsal.” Al Monitor. Al Monitor, 5 Feb. 2015. Web. 14 Jul. 2016.

[13] Lund, Aron. “An Islamist Experiment: Political Order in East Ghouta.” Syrian In Crisis. The Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 18 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 Jul. 2016.

[14] “Syrian rebels take ‘almost all’ of key government city in Idlib province. Middle East Eye. Middle East Eye, 25 Apr. 2015. Web. 19 Jul. 2016; “Final Statement of the Conference of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces Rhiyadh.” France Diplomatie. France Diplomatie, 10 Dec. 2015. Web. 14 Jul. 2016.

[15] Lund, Aron. “After Zahran: Rising Tension in the East Ghouta.” Syria in Crisis. The Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 18 Jul. 2016.

[16] Lund, Aron. “After Zahran: Rising Tension in the East Ghouta.” Syria in Crisis. The Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 18 Jul. 2016.

[17] “On the Death of Zahran Alloush.” The Syria Institute. The Syria Institute, 25 Dec. 2015. Web. 14 Jul. 2016.

[18] Heller, Sam. “One Kurdish Neighborhood in the Crossfire.” The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast, 15 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 Jul. 2016

[19] Lund, Aron. “After Zahran: Rising Tension in the East Ghouta.” Syria in Crisis. The Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 18 Jul. 2016; Barrington, Lisa. “Syrian rebels agree in Qatar to stop fighting each other.” Reuters. Thomas Reuters, 25 May. 2016. Web. 18 Jul. 2016.

[20] Lund, Aron. “After Zahran: Rising Tension in the East Ghouta.” Syria in Crisis. The Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 18 Jul. 2016; Barrington, Lisa. “Syrian rebels agree in Qatar to stop fighting each other.” Reuters. Thomas Reuters, 25 May. 2016. Web. 18 Jul. 2016.

[21] Al Khalidi, Suleiman. "Senior Syrian rebel negotiator says will head rebel delegation at peace talks. Reuters. Thomas Reuters, 16 Jan. 2017. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.

[22] Mroue, Bassem. “Syrian rebels and insurgents battle in split over peace push.” The Big Story. Associated Press, 6 Feb. 2017. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.

[23] “Syrian Rebels in Eastern Ghouta Agree to Evacuate Imprisoned Nusra...” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 9 Mar. 2018, www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ghouta-nusra/syrian-reb….

[24] “Syrian rebels ‘fire on protestors’ calling for an end to infighting.” Middle East Eye. Middle East Eye, 1 May. 2017. Web. 20 Aug. 2017; “Weekly Conflict Summary: May 18-24, 2017.” The Carter Center. The Carter Center, May. 2017. Web. 20 Aug. 2017.

[25] Eltohamy, Amr. “The limits of Egypt’s role in the Syria crisis.” Egypt Pulse. Al-Monitor, 9 Aug. 2017. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.

[26] AFP. “Syria Suicide Blast Kills 23 Rebel Fighters near Jordan Border.” The Times of Israel, 12 Aug. 2017, www.timesofisrael.com/syria-suicide-blast-kills-23-rebel-fighters-near-….

[27] “Syria War: Jaish Al-Islam to Evacuate Number of Eastern Ghouta Fighters.” BBC News, BBC, 9 Mar. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43351957.

[28] “Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS).” Nuclear Stability in a Post-Arms Control World | Center for Strategic and International Studies, Center for Strategic and International Studies, www.csis.org/programs/transnational-threats-project/terrorism-backgroun….

[29] Barrington, Lisa. “Syrian Rebels Jaish Al-Islam Refuse to Leave Ghouta: Spokesman.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 25 Mar. 2018, www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ghouta-jaish/syrian-reb….

[30] “Deal Reached to Surrender Last Rebel-Held Town in Eastern Ghouta.” Aljazeera, 8 Apr. 2018, www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/deal-reached-surrender-rebel-held-town-e….

[31] AFP. “Syria Declares Full Recapture of Ghouta Rebel Enclave.” The Times of Israel, 15 Apr. 2018, www.timesofisrael.com/syria-declares-full-recapture-of-ghouta-rebel-enc….

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 2014: Jaysh al-Islam drove the Islamic State (IS) out of Eastern Ghouta in the province of Damascus (unknown casualties).[1]

February 5, 2015: Jaysh al-Islam attacked IS in Arsal, Lebanon while IS was launching an offensive against Hezbollah and the Lebanese Army. The leader of Jaysh al-Islam, Zahran Alloush, claimed that the attack was in response to an IS assault against one of Jaysh al-Islam’s headquarters. This is the first time the group launched an attack outside of Syria (1-3 killed, 1 wounded).[2]

Early 2015: Jaysh al-Islam leader Zahran Alloush launched a crackdown against the Ummah Army. The Ummah Army, composed of rival opposition brigades, was attempting to break away from the Unified Judiciary Council, of which Jaysh al-Islam and several other opposition groups were members. Jaysh al-Islam arrested 1,300 members of the Ummah Army and killed many others (unknown casualties).[3]

April 25, 2015: Jaysh al-Islam cooperated with other opposition groups, including Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham, to take over Jisr al-Shughur, a government stronghold in the province of Idlib (unknown casualties).[4]

July 2015: Jaysh al-Islam attacked IS in the Qaboun, Jobar, Barzeh, and Tishrin districts in Damascus. Jaysh al-Islam captured two IS headquarters and took 20 prisoners (7 killed, unknown wounded).[5]

July 2, 2015: Jaysh al-Islam executed 18 IS prisoners in retaliation for a previous IS execution of 3 Jaysh al-Islam militants (18 killed).[6]

September 10, 2015: Jaysh al-Islam seized two buildings in the women’s section of the Assad Regime’s Adra prison near Damascus. The prison held 5,000 prisoners (unknown casualties).[7]

February 11, 2016: Jaysh al-Islam attacked Syrian army soldiers between Adra and Douma in Eastern Ghouta (45+ killed, unknown wounded). [8]

April 7, 2016: Jaysh al-Islam allegedly used chemical weapons in an attack on the People’s Protection Units and other Kurdish forces in Aleppo. The group denied the allegations that it had employed chlorine chemical weapons. Instead, Jaysh al-Islam claimed to have disciplined a commander for using “modified GRAD rockets” (160 killed or wounded).[9]

April 28, 2017: Clashes erupted between Jaysh al-Islam and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (Tahrir al-Sham) in Eastern Ghouta after Tahrir al-Sham kidnapped Jaysh al-Islam fighters who were en route to attack Assad Regime forces. Jaysh al-Islam also attacked Faylaq al-Rahman forces attempting to aid Tahrir al-Sham, as well as civilian protestors who called for an end to opposition infighting (95+ killed, 13+ wounded).[10]

[1] “Syria Countrywide Conflict Report #4.”The Carter Center. The Carter Center, 11 Sep. 2014. Web. 18 Jul. 2016.

[2] Ali, Abdallah Suleiman. “Jaish al-Islam confronts Islamic State in Arsal.” Al Monitor. Al Monitor, 5 Feb. 2015. Web. 14 Jul. 2016.

[3] Lund, Aron. “An Islamist Experiment: Political Order in East Ghouta.” Syrian In Crisis. The Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 18 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 Jul. 2016.

[4] “Syrian rebels take ‘almost all’ of key government city in Idlib province. Middle East Eye. Middle East Eye, 25 Apr. 2015. Web. 19 Jul. 2016.

[5] Dick, Marlin. “Rebels take on ISIS in new Damascus front.” The daily Star-Lebanon. The Daily Star, 17 Apr. 2015. Web. 19 Jul. 2016.

[6] “Mutual executions carry out by IS and al-Islam Army.” Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 2 Jul. 2015. Web. 21 Jul. 2016; “Syrian rebels filmed shooting Islamic State militants.” BBC. BBC News, 1 Jul. 2015. Web. 18 Jul. 2016.

[7] “Rebels storm Syria's largest prison near Damascus: monitor.” Agence-France Presse. Yahoo News, 10 Sep. 2015. Web. 14 Jul. 2016.

[8] Tension and resentment in Alawite mountains from the regime after the death of more than 45 in an ambush by the Army of Islam in the Eastern Ghouta.” Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 11 Feb. 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2016.

[9] Heller, Sam. “One Kurdish Neighborhood in the Crossfire.” The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast, 15 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 Jul. 2016; “al-Islam army keeps secrecy about the investigations of a military commander.” Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 13 Apr. 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2016.

[10] “Syrian rebels ‘fire on protestors’ calling for an end to infighting.” Middle East Eye. Middle East Eye, 1 May. 2017. Web. 20 Aug. 2017; “Weekly Conflict Summary: May 18-24, 2017.” The Carter Center. The Carter Center, May. 2017. Web. 20 Aug. 2017.