Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa

Last updated
Raqqa Revolutionaries Front
Jabhat Thūwwār ar-Raqqah
جبهة ثوار الرقة

Participant in the Syrian Civil War

This is the logo of Liwa Thuwwar al-Raqqa.png
Logo of Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa
Flag of Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa.svg
Flag of Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa
Active September 2012 – present
Ideology

Democracy (since 2014) [1]

Sunni Islamism (2012–14) [1]
Groups
  • Free Women of Raqqa Battalion [2]

Former:

Leaders
Headquarters Ayn Issa
Area of operations Raqqa Governorate, Syria [13]
Aleppo Governorate, Syria [9]
Size +800 [14]
Part of
Originated as Raqqa Revolutionaries Brigade (Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa)
Allies
Opponents
Battles and wars

Syrian Civil War

Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa (Arabic : جبهة ثوار الرقة‎, translit.  Jabhat Thūwwār ar-Raqqah), or the Front of Raqqa Revolutionaries, is a rebel group that has been active during the Syrian Civil War. [19] It is currently part of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the group which is backed by the American-led intervention in Syria. During an interview by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi in 2015, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa's media director stated that the group wants a "civil democratic state". He also claimed that the group had no relations with the Syrian National Coalition based in Turkey. [1]

The romanization of Arabic writes written and spoken Arabic in the Latin script in one of various systematic ways. Romanized Arabic is used for a number of different purposes, among them transcription of names and titles, cataloging Arabic language works, language education when used in lieu of or alongside the Arabic script, and representation of the language in scientific publications by linguists. These formal systems, which often make use of diacritics and non-standard Latin characters and are used in academic settings or for the benefit of non-speakers, contrast with informal means of written communication used by speakers such as the Latin-based Arabic chat alphabet.

Syrian Civil War Ongoing multi-sided armed conflict in Syria

The Syrian Civil War is an ongoing multi-sided armed conflict in Syria fought between the Ba'athist Syrian Arab Republic led by President Bashar al-Assad, along with domestic and foreign allies, and various domestic and foreign forces opposing both the Syrian government and each other in varying combinations.

Syrian Democratic Forces alliance of militias fighting against ISIS and Al-Nusra Front in the Syrian Civil War

The Syrian Democratic Forces, commonly abbreviated to SDF, HSD, and QSD, is an alliance in the Syrian Civil War comprised primarily of Kurdish, Arab, and Assyrian/Syriac militias, as well as some smaller Turkmen and Chechen forces. The SDF is militarily led by the People's Protection Units (YPG), a mostly Kurdish militia. Founded in October 2015, the SDF states its mission as fighting to create a secular, democratic and federal Syria. The updated December 2016 constitution of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES) names the SDF as its official defence force.

Contents

It was formed in the Raqqa Governorate in September 2012, under its original name Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa (Arabic: لواء ثوار الرقة‎, translit. Liwā' Thūwwār ar-Raqqah, lit. 'Raqqa Revolutionaries' Brigade'). [1]

Raqqa Governorate Governorate in Syria

Raqqa Governorate is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in the north of the country and covers an area of 19,616 km². The governorate has a population of 921,000. The capital is Raqqa. The Islamic State of Iraq and Levant claimed full control of this province as of August 24, 2014 when its fighters captured Tabqa Airbase in the southwest part of the province. However, the Syrian Democratic Forces now control much of the province; all of the area north of the Euphrates River including the provincial capital of Raqqa and the city of al-Thawrah are under SDF control, with the government holding the southern part of the governorate after a successful offensive was launched with the aid of Liwa al-Quds, tribal militias and Russian air support, which resulted in the recapture of the city of Resafa, and the capture of many oil fields in Ar-Raqqah province, including various oil and gas stations.

History

Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa

Between 2012 and 2013, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa was allied to the al-Nusra Front in Raqqa city. In September 2013, it pledged allegiance to the al-Nusra Front and became part of it, although it was not fully integrated into Nusra. During the time Liwa al-Thuwar al-Raqqa was part of al-Nusra, it fought the Kurdish-led People's Protection Units (YPG) in Tell Abyad, and was accused by Kurdish officials of involvement in the abduction of Kurds and looting in Raqqa city. [20]

Al-Nusra Front Salafist jihadist organization

Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra, known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham after July 2016, and also described as al-Qaeda in Syria or al-Qaeda in the Levant, was a Salafist jihadist organization fighting against Syrian government forces in the Syrian Civil War. Its aim was to establish an Islamic state in the country.

Kurds ethnic group in the Middle East

Kurds or the Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group of Western Asia, mostly inhabiting a contiguous area known as Kurdistan. Geographically, those four adjacent and often-mountainous areas include southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northern Syria. There are also exclaves of Kurds in central Anatolia and Khorasan. Additionally, there are significant Kurdish diaspora communities in the cities of western Turkey, in particular Istanbul, while a Kurdish diaspora has developed in Western Europe, primarily in Germany. Numerically, the Kurds are estimated to number anywhere from a low of 30 million, to possibly as high as 45 million.

Peoples Protection Units mainly-Kurdish militia in Syria

The People's Protection Units or People's Defense Units is a mainly-Kurdish militia in Syria and the primary component of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria's Syrian Democratic Forces. The YPG is mostly ethnically Kurdish, and also includes Arabs, foreign volunteers, and is closely allied to the Syriac Military Council, a militia of Assyrians.

In January 2014, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa broke away from the al-Nusra Front. Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa led the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the city of Raqqa. [13] [1] After ISIL expelled Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa and other rebel groups from Raqqa city, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa moved into the northern Raqqa Governorate countryside and allied itself with the YPG and the Kurdish Front. [1] In July 2014 the faction and 10 other groups threatened to leave Aleppo and Raqqa governorates if they were not aided by other rebels in their fight against ISIL. [21]

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Salafi jihadist terrorist and militant group

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, officially as the Islamic State (IS) and by its Arabic language acronym Daesh, is a Salafi jihadist militant group and former unrecognised proto-state that follows a fundamentalist, Salafi doctrine of Sunni Islam. ISIL gained global prominence in early 2014 when it drove Iraqi government forces out of key cities in its Western Iraq offensive, followed by its capture of Mosul and the Sinjar massacre.

In September 2014, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa joined the YPG-FSA Euphrates Volcano joint operations room. [1] It reportedly received anti-tank missiles and other equipment from the United States through the Şanlıurfa border crossing as part of the Syrian Train and Equip Program to fight ISIL. [22]

Euphrates Volcano

Euphrates Volcano was a joint operations room/coalition established during the Syrian Civil War. It mainly consisted of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and certain factions of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The group fought to expel the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from Aleppo and Raqqa provinces. In an October 2015 publication, the Washington D.C.-based Institute for the Study of War considered Euphrates Volcano as one of the "powerbrokers" in Aleppo Province, being primarily "anti-ISIS" but not necessarily "anti-regime".

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

In 2015, it participated in the YPG offensive towards the Syrian border city of Tell Abyad. In June, fighters from Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa were near the Turkish border, whilst the group was also fighting ISIL in the southern city of Ayn Issa, on the Raqqa road. Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa was able to grow considerably in size because of the influx of both rebels from Turkey[ clarification needed ] and locals who wanted to fight ISIL. The current size of the brigade is unknown, but numbers in the hundreds at least. In October 2015, the group stated it received military equipment from the United States and YPG in order to fight ISIL north of Raqqa. It has stated it intends to capture the city of Raqqa from ISIL. [23] Pro-opposition newspaper Al-Tamimi claimed that Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa wants Syria to become a unitary civil democratic state. [1]

Tell Abyad Town and nahiyah in Raqqa, Syria

Tell Abyad is a town and nahiya in Syria. It is the administrative center of the Tell Abyad District within the Raqqa Governorate. Located along the Balikh River, it constitutes a divided city with the bordering city of Akçakale in Turkey.

Ayn Issa Town and nahiyah in Raqqa, Syria

Ayn Issa is a town and nahiyah within the Tell Abyad District of Raqqa Governorate in Syria. It is located halfway between the border town Tell Abyad and the regional capital Raqqa.

Reorganisation under the SDF banner

In November 2015, the group merged with Tribes' Army of Tell Abyad to form Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa which became part of a greater coalition in northern Syria. However tensions between the Kurdish and Arab factions of the group grew after alleged Kurdish atrocities against the Arab populations of northern Syria. In response the Kurds with their Arab allies blockaded the region held by Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa, after ISIS attacks increased from the region held by Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa, which became susceptible to an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant attack in late December 2015. On 6 January 2016, the group issued a statement claiming it was disbanding as a consequence of the blockade, although the cause of the disbandment has been disputed. [24] After the disbandment they continued to use the Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa name. In late 2015, the group reappeared, announcing it had decided to join Syrian Democratic Forces. [25]

On 20 October 2016, Thuwar al-Raqqa established an all-female battalion named the "Free Women Raqqa Battalion". [2]

During the Raqqa campaign, three of its former subgroups groups, the Raqqa Hawks Brigade, Raqqa Martyrs Brigade, and the Free Raqqa Brigade, are participating in the countryside operations, leaving Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa. [3] while Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa will be involved in taking the city itself. [4] [5]

During the offensive, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa's political bureau condemned the offensive for being led by the YPG. This caused tensions between the group's political bureau, who opposes the YPG, and the overall leader and military commander of Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa, Abu Issa, who is allied with the YPG. [26] [27] In response, the YPG besieged and raided the group's headquarter. [28]

On 10 December 2016, the second phase of the Raqqa campaign was announced, with Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa participating under the SDF. [29] Tensions rose again on 25 December and several military commanders in Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa reportedly announced their defection to the Raqqa Hawks Brigade. 2 days later, the Thuwar al-Raqqa commanders declared on video that they were captured by the Raqqa Hawks Brigade and forced to announce their defection, and that they are still with Thuwar al-Raqqa. [11]

On 19 May 2017, Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa held a meeting with other SDF member groups in negotiating the role that the former will play in the Raqqa campaign. After SDF commander Hussam Awak promised the unit that "its role [in Raqqa] will be essential, especially in the civil and humanitarian affairs", Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa sent a convoy of troops to participate in the offensive. [12]

In May 2018, tensions began to build up between members of Arab tribes, including Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa, and the rest of the SDF over recruitment issues in Raqqa. A curfew was put in place in Raqqa on 24 June, as the SDF surrounded Thuwar al-Raqqa's headquarters and arrested 90 of its members. [30]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (14 September 2015). "Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa: History, analysis & interview". Syria Comment. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 Antonopoulos, Paul (20 October 2016). "Video: Thuwar Raqqa announce a women's battalion to fight ISIS". al-Masdar News.
  3. 1 2 "Syrian Rebellion Obs on Twitter".
  4. 1 2 3 "Who is taking part in Ghadab al-Firat campaign?". Hawar News Agency.
  5. 1 2 3 "Syrian Rebellion Obs on Twitter".
  6. ↑ "Syrian Civil War factions".
  7. 1 2 "Leader of Raqqa Rebels brigade killed". ARA News. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Islamic State foiled in attempt to kidnap Syrian rebel leader in Turkey". The Guardian. 19 October 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 "FSA fighting alongside Kobane Kurds". NOW. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "Kobane battles reunified Kurds and Arabs: Rebel leader". ARA News. 8 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  11. 1 2 ""Intentionally" fights Arab allies .. and "revolutionaries tenderness" reveal planned". Baladi News. 27 December 2016.
  12. 1 2 "Thuwar #Raqqa imposes a condition to return to the "Euphrates Wrath"". El-Dorar al-Shamia. 20 May 2017.
  13. 1 2 Simon, Alex (5 March 2014). "Al-Tamimi: ISIS claiming control in Yarmouk 'publicity stunt'". Syria Direct. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  14. ↑ "Syrian Kurds look to take Raqqa with new Arab force as allies".
  15. ↑ "YPG and FSA form a joint military chamber to combat ISIS in Syria". ARA News. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  16. 1 2 "Syria rebels struggle for control over ISIL-held Raqqa". ARA News. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  17. ↑ "A new dialogue and collaboration in northern Syria between kurds and rebels". The Arab Chronicle. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  18. ↑ "#Syria: Liwa Thuwar #Raqqa (#FSA) rebels driving through Tall Abyad today, being cheered on by residents who stayed". Live UA Map. 16 June 2015.
  19. ↑ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (29 April 2014). "Key updates on Albukamal (Abu Kamal)". Brown Moses Blog. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  20. ↑ Carl Drott (13 October 2014). ""Extremists" and "Moderates" in Kobani". Warscapes.
  21. ↑ "Rebels demand help as fighting rages against ISIS in Ghouta". The Daily Star. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  22. ↑ PJ WILCOX (1 December 2014). "FSA COMMANDER ABU ISSA BECOMES HIGH VALUE TARGET FOR ISLAMIC STATE IN SYRIA".
  23. ↑ "FSA spokesman confirms aid for 'decisive battle to liberate Raqqa'". Syria Direct.
  24. ↑ "Tribes' Army disbands in north amidst accusations of YPG blockade".
  25. ↑ "Ultimele stiri si informatii despre Liwa Thuwwar Al Raqqa". www.disperat.ro. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  26. ↑ @Syria_Rebel_Obs (10 November 2016). "IMPORTANT - Liwa Thuwar #Raqqa political bureau was many times in conflict with its military leader, Abu Issa, that's the problem" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ↑ "Liwa Thuwar Raqqa refrain from participating SDF Wrath of the Euphrates battle". El-Dorar Al-Shamia. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  28. ↑ @Syria_Rebel_Obs (10 November 2016). "Stop saying "Liwa Thuwar #Raqqa left #SDF" : brigade is few, and MORE IMPORTANT, besieged de facto by #SDF bases around its HQ" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. ↑ @arabthomness (11 December 2016). "#Syria: the #SDF coalition (#YPG, local #FSA, allied arab tribes) have launched the second stage of the offensive to liberate #Raqqa" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  30. ↑ "SDF forces impose curfew in Syria's Raqqa, citing instability, Islamic State attacks". Middle East Eye. 24 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
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