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Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade

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Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade
لواء شهداء اليرموك
Liwa Shuhada al-Yarmouk
LeadersAbu Abdullah al-Madani[1] (5 March 2016–present)
Abu Obeida Qahtan[2] (15 November 2015–5 March 2016)[1]
Muhammad al-Baridi †[2][3][4] (2012–15 November 2015)
Dates of operationAugust 2012[5] – 21 May 2016
HeadquartersJamla[2]
Part of
Allies
Opponents
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War

The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade (Template:Lang-ar) was a rebel group in southern Syria during the Syrian Civil War. For part of its existence it was connected to the Islamic State. It fought against several Syrian Opposition groups for dominance in the Yarmouk Basin. On 21 May 2016 its existence came to an end when it merged with three other factions into the Khalid ibn al-Walid Army.

History

Formation

The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade was originally formed in the summer of 2012 by Muhammad al-Baridi.

2013

Kidnapping of UN peacekeepers

The group first gained attention when it captured 21 Filipino UN peacekeeping troops in March 2013 in the Jamla area near the UN patrolled portion of the Golan Heights. In the initial statement, it justified its actions as follows: "At a time in which the UN is silent about the crimes of the regime against the Syrian people, here are the UN forces providing aid to the criminal regime forces besieged for days by the heroes of the Free Army."They quickly retracted this statement, saying they were actually protecting the UN personnel from the "barbaric bombing that Assad's criminal gangs are launching against the western villages of Deraa province and all of Syria." The group then called on the UN to hold a secure meeting to hand over the personnel. Eventually, the incident was resolved. Another kidnapping incident took place in May involving 4 Filipino UN peacekeepers , though they were also released. At this they seemed keen to assure outsiders of their supposedly good intentions, telling the Times of Israel that their quarrel was only with Assad regime and praising Israeli medical treatment for refugees.

Operations

Through 2013, they gained prominence on the battlefield, acquiring new local affiliates. In late March, they worked with Jabhat al-Nusra to attack the 38th division air defence base. In May, when they were participating in the "Yarmouk al-Karama" battle focused to the south of Nawa town like Ain Dhikr, the Omar al-Mukhtar battalion for the Nawa area was announced. The statement employed nationalist rhetoric typical of the Free Syrian Army.

In July, Liwa Shuhada' al-Yarmouk announced being part of the "Mother of Battles" campaign to capture Nawa from regime forces, though that operation failed. At this time, their nationalist rebel affiliations were still apparent, and in October they joined a coalition of 50 southern formations embodied in the "Revolution Leadership Council- Southern Region." A video emerged in November 2013 of a large military parade held by the group. Their leader Ali al-Baridi claimed that the group controlled territory extending from the area of Tel Shehab to the occupied Golan.

2014

In late 2014, the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade was involved in a series of low intensity clashes with al-Nusra Front, and in December 2014 Nusra launched an offensive against the brigade until other rebel groups intervened and confined the Brigade to its base in the towns of Jamla and al-Shajarah.[5] In April and May 2015, the brigade, as well as Jaysh al-Jihad, launched attacks on Nusra. This fighting ended following arbitration from other local groups.[5]

2015

Death of Muhammad al-Baridi

On 15 November 2015, its head Muhammad "Abu Ali" al-Baridi, nicknamed al-Khal (the Uncle), and five other leaders were killed in a bomb blast in Jamla, the village where the Brigade is headquartered. Al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility for the attack. Abu Obaideh Qahtan, said to have been the effective leader of the brigade anyway, took over as head.[2] Obaideh, a Palestinian-Syrian from the Yarmouk Camp, was not only a founding member of the brigade, but had also much military experience as veteran of the Soviet–Afghan War. Nevertheless, just four months after taking over, he was replaced as head by Abu Abdullah al-Madani, a previously unknown mujahid of Saudi origin. This development was both attributed to Obaideh's lacking administration skills and the strengthening links of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade with ISIL, as al-Madani was said to have been sent by the ISIL leadership to lead the brigade.[1][10] Despite his replacement, Abu Obaideh Qahtan remained a major field commander of the brigade.[1]

2016

On 21 March 2016, the brigade and its ally, the Islamic Muthanna Movement, launched a major offensive against other rebel groups, aiming to take control of the Daraa Governorate.[11] While the two groups were initially able to take control of several villages and towns, opposition forces eventually pushed them back. At least two important brigade commanders were killed during the conflict,[10][12] among them Abu Tahrir, a Syria Revolutionaries Front defector.[12]

Merger into Khalid ibn al-Walid Army

As a result of the failed offensive, the Islamic Muthanna Movement and the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade were severely weakened, leading to rumors they had merged.[13] On 24 May 2016, they along wih Jaysh al-Jihad officially united to form Khalid ibn al-Walid Army , or the Army of Khalid ibn al-Walid, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad.[14][15]

Designation as a terrorist organization

Country Date References
 United States 9 June 2016 [16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (14 March 2016). "Liwa Shuhada' al-Yarmouk Appoints a New Leader". Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Jabhat a-Nusra claims assassination of alleged pro-IS leader in Daraa province". Syria Direct. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  3. ^ "Al-Nusra overtakes Hazm in Aleppo countryside". Al Monitor. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  4. ^ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn (18 September 2015). "Liwa Shuhada' al-Yarmouk: history and analysis". Syria Comment. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  5. ^ a b c "The Islamic State in Southern Syria" (PDF). Carter Center. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  6. ^ pulse/security/2014/12/jabhat-al-nusra-islamic-state-clash-qalamoun-risks-daraa.html "Jabhat al-Nusra, IS clash in Daraa". Al Monitor. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  7. ^ "ISIS and Syria's Southern Front". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Jabhat al-Nusra, IS clash in Daraa". Al Monitor. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  9. ^ "Is Islamic State coming to Israel?". The Economist. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference fitna was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Abo Bakr al Haj Ali. "Islamic State raises flags over towns in Daraa after fierce battles". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  12. ^ a b "The Military Commander of Shohadaa al-Yarmouk killed and six Elements Captured in Daraa". El-Dorar Al-Shamia. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Factions of Almuthana and martyrs of Yarmouk united after their losing in west of Daraa". Qasioun News. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  14. ^ https://microsyria.com/2016/05/24/%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%85%D9%88%D9%83-%D9%88%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AB%D9%86%D9%89-%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%AC/
  15. ^ "Yarmouk Valley: The Formation of Jaysh Khalid ibn al-Waleed?". 24 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  16. ^ "State Department Terrorist Designation of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade". State.gov. 2016-06-09. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
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