Syria al-Nusra/Tahrir al-Sham fighting other jihadist groups

[Anthea]

Tahrir al-Sham: Al-Qaeda's latest incarnation in Syria

The Syrian jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS), known as al-Nusra Front until it broke off formal ties with al-Qaeda last July, has merged with four smaller Syrian factions and rebranded itself as "Tahrir al-Sham".

The new group's leader has been named as Hashim al-Sheikh, who previously served as the head of the powerful Islamist rebel group, Ahrar al-Sham.

Ahrar al-Sham itself has refused to join the new body and has been at loggerheads with JFS in northern Syria.

On 9 February, al-Shaikh delivered the group's first leadership message in which he insisted the new entity was independent and not an extension of former organisations and factions.

By reinventing itself again, JFS appears to be trying to distance itself from its al-Qaeda past and embed itself more deeply within the Syrian insurgency.

No mention has been made of JFS leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani in any of the new group's communications. But he is widely believed to be serving as its military commander.

'Full merger'

JFS announced the creation of "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" (which translates in English as Liberation of Levant Organisation) in a statement that was released on 28 January via its channel on the messaging app Telegram.

The statement indicated that the groups which had agreed to join would dissolve themselves and "merge fully" into the new entity.



This was further reiterated in al-Shaikh's recent message which described the new body as a "melting pot for all factions".

In addition to JFS, Tahrir al-Sham founding groups included: Nur al-Din Zinki Movement (one of the most important opposition factions in Aleppo); jihadist Ansar al-Din Front; the Homs-based Jaysh al-Sunnah; and Liwa al-Haqq (operates in Idlib, Aleppo and Hamah).

The new entity also received the endorsement of six prominent Syria-based jihadist clerics, including the charismatic Saudi-born Abdullah al-Muhaisini. The clerics signed a separate statement announcing their intention to join Tahrir al-Sham.

Since the creation of the new entity, JFS has issued no new propaganda under the JFS brand, suggesting that it has been dissolved.

Hashim al-Shaikh (Abu-Jabir)

The head of the new group, Abu-Jabir, had been appointed as Ahrar al-Sham leader after the group's entire leadership was wiped out in a bomb blast in September 2014. He held the leadership seat until September 2015.

According to mainstream accounts, Abu-Jabir was born in 1968 in Aleppo, Syria. He is said to have fought alongside al-Qaeda in Iraq under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and helped Syrian jihadist fighters travel to Iraq. Reports indicate he was arrested later in Syria and was one of many Islamists released from prison in 2011.

Abu-Jabir's appointment as the leader of Tahrir al-Sham marks the culmination of tensions between moderate and hardline elements within Ahrar al-Sham, which escalated in recent months over disagreements on the notion of a merger with JFS.

As attempts for a merger including both JFS and Ahrar al-Sham failed, hardliners within Ahrar al-Sham, including some prominent figures led by Abu-Jabir defected to Tahrir al-Sham.

This places the new entity in the position of a rival to Ahrar al-Sham, which in turn took a number of smaller factions under its wing.

In his message, Abu-Jabir reached out to other factions urging them to "forget the past" and join his group with the aim of continuing the fight until the goals of the uprising were realised and the Syrian government overthrown. But Abu-Jabir's dismissal of political negotiations as a means to achieve that goal might alienate some factions that have shown willingness to engage in talks.

Latest rebranding

The announcement of the new body is the second rebranding undergone by the group formerly known as al-Nusra Front in a relatively short period of time.

It follows its public severing of ties with al-Qaeda and rebranding as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham at the end of July 2016.

These moves represent attempts by the group to embed itself more deeply within the wider Syrian insurgency and distance itself from the al-Qaeda brand.

But if anything, the latest initiative is an indication that JFS's dream of winning over key Syrian factions appears to have failed, at least for the time being.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38934206

Anthea: I would depute the previous sentence as al Nusra had a reputation for working well with other jihadist groups and I expect it will have the same success under it's new incarnation

[Anthea]

Take a good look at the map



You will notice that the map does not name the rebel groups in and around Aleppo - perhaps there are so many groups that nobody knows exactly who is fighting whom

Also look at the area under ISIS control

What is the coalition's intention?

Does the coalition intend to kill every single ISIS jihadist - an almost total impossibility

For every ISIS jihadist there are at least 10 supporters within the Sunni community - possibly a great many more

[Anthea]

Syria war: 'Dozens killed' as jihadists clash in Idlib

Dozens of fighters have been killed in clashes between two jihadist factions in northern Syria, reports say.

The battles involved Tahrir al-Sham, formerly an al-Qaeda affiliate, and Jund al-Aqsa, regarded as close to so-called Islamic State (IS).

UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the fighting was a "war for influence" in Idlib province.

Inter-factional fighting has beleaguered insurgents since early on in the Syria war.

Last month, a hardline Islamist group, Ahrar al-Sham, was also involved in days of clashes in Idlib with Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS), which rebranded itself as Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance of jihadist groups, at the end of January.



Nearly 70 people have been killed in the latest fighting, which began on Monday morning, according to the SOHR and a rebel commander.

Tahrir al-Sham has captured six villages from Jund al-Aqsa, the SOHR said. The two sides are also reported to have clashed in the north of neighbouring Hama province.

Idlib province, in the country's north-west, has long been a rebel stronghold, dominated by Ahrar al-Sham and JFS/Tahrir al-Sham.

The SOHR said the fighting erupted after Jund al-Aqsa carried out a suicide bombing on Tahrir al-Sham, killing nine people, AFP news agency reported.

However, a Jund al-Aqsa commander told the Associated Press that Tahrir al-Sham had attacked his group's positions first.

The two factions were allied for a short time last year but fell out soon after.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38966601