Abu Aisha al-Shami | |
|---|---|
| Native name | أبو عائشة الشامي |
| Rank | Leader of Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah [1] |
| Unit |  Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham [2] (until 2025) Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah (2025-present) |
| Commands | Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah |
| Known for | 2025 massacres of Syrian Alawites [3] Mar Elias Church attack [4] [5] |
| Battles / wars | |
Abu Aisha al-Shami is the head of Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, a jihadist group that was formed in the aftermath of the fall of the Assad regime.
Al-Shami formed the group on 1 February 2025 in Syria after leaving Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), perceiving it to be lenient towards Shia Muslims and Alawites. [1] The same day, it claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 12 Alawites in Arzah, and its fighters attacked Tell Dahab and killed five former security members of the Ba'athist government. [6] [3] They also claimed responsibility for the killing of 10 Shia villagers in Hama. [3]
The group stated that its sole motive was to continue the attacks until Shia Muslims and Alawites were fully "eliminated" from Syria or displaced to other countries. The group is decentralized with no formal headquarters. The group opposes the transitional government's efforts to pardon former members of the Ba'athist government. [3] The group accused HTS of "abandoning its original ideas of building an Islamic state" and "being too soft" on the "Nusairi and Rafidite threat". The group said that they would "finish what they started". [2]