Sheikh al-Karama Forces | |
---|---|
![]() Flag used by the group | |
Leaders | Wahid al-Balaous † Fahd al-Balaous Layth al-Balaous Wissam Eid † |
Dates of operation | 2014-2021 |
Split from | Men of Dignity |
Ideology | Regionalism |
Opponents | ![]() ![]() |
Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War |
Part of a series on Druze |
---|
![]() |
The Sheikh al-Karama Forces was an armed group based in the As-Suwayda Governorate in southern eastern Syria, composed of Druze locals, the group was led by two brothers who are the sons of the founder of another Druze militia group called the Men of Dignity in 2012 and led his group until his death in 2015. The group has clashed with Syrian government forces and Hezbollah on numerous occasions, though the group has fought with Syrian government forces and allied paramilitaries it was not part of the nationwide Free Syrian Army or general Syrian Opposition. Members of the Druze community and the group have been targeted by the Syrian government, the group claims that several members of the Druze community in the Suwayda governorate have been arrested and tortured under terrorism charges. [1]
The al-Karama Forces' are led by brothers, named Layth and Fahd al-Balaous who are the sons of a prominent local named Wahid al-Balaous who established a militia in 2012 called the "Men of Dignity" in Suwayda. There was also an internal conflict in the group between the group's leadership and a commander who was later killed in May 2019. [2]
The Men of Dignity emerged in 2014 with supporters of Wahid al-Balaous who was a dissident of the government in the Druze community and initially called for the removal of the Syrian government. [3] However, he and his movement were noted as neither being supportive of the Syrian government nor necessarily opposed to it, but rather wanted reform and steps to be taken to reduce corruption within the Syrian government. There was also speculation as to whether he wanted to establish his own separatist Druze state or make a deal with the FSA for autonomy. Despite this, however, his supporters were known to use the flag of Syria and refer to the Syrian army respectably as the Syrian Arab Army. The group also stressed strict self-defense, and claimed to have support from the Druze community in Israel which it called Palestine instead, and does reject Druze cooperation with the Israeli government. [4] [5] The Men of Dignity also did not oppose the Syrian military. However, they did oppose the government's conscription program and instead wanted to focus on local defense. [5]
Wahid al-Balaous was killed by a car bomb in 2015. After his death, many false reports emerged that Druze militants were joining the Free Syrian Army, and that a new Druze FSA group had been established in Suwayda, as part of the greater Syrian Civil War that has left Suwayda largely unaffected. After the assassination, the group released a statement blaming the government. However, they expressed they would continue to work within a framework supported by the government. A new leader also took over the group named Yahya al-Hajjar. However, due to disagreements with al-Hajjar's leadership, the Balaous brothers split from the Men of Dignity and formed the Sheikh al-Karama Forces. However, they do not hold tensions with the Men of Dignity. [5]
In 2015, the group was established after splitting from the Men of Dignity Druze militia.
On 21 February 2019, the Sheikh al-Karama Forces attacked the Syrian government's military intelligence paramilitary forces in Suwayda, over the government's seizure of a house in the city years prior, that belonged to a member of the Syrian opposition, after the member's family asked the group to help them retake the house from the government. [6]
On 3 May 2019, one of the group's commanders named Wissam Eid was killed by unidentified gunmen south of Suwayda. He survived the assassination. However, he later died at a hospital due to injuries from the attack. Later on the same day, a Syrian government military intelligence position was attacked by gunmen. However, the Sheikh al-Karama Forces denied it was behind the attack on the military intelligence outpost. Wissam reportedly led his own faction in the group that held tensions with the main leadership and was previously the target of an assassination attempt in April 2019, and both Wissam's faction and the main leadership have accused each other of committing crimes including kidnappings and murder. [2]
On 4 December 2019, the group released a statement that called on natives of the Suwayda governorate abroad to send financial aid due to a reported increase in poverty in the area; the group also denounced aid programs from the Syrian government and Russia. The group also claims that the government intentionally neglects the governorate, and called Russian forces in Syria occupation forces, and also claimed that they were stealing from Syria. [7]
On 26 March 2020, the group clashed with the Syrian military in the southern part of the Suywada governorate. During the clashes, 4 fighters belonging to the Sheikh al-Karama Forces were killed and 1 pro-government fighter was killed. After the clashes, the al-Karama Forces announced they were increasing their level of preparedness for future confrontations with the government, and days prior to the clashes the group swapped prisoners with the government. [8]
The Syrian Resistance, formerly known as the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Sanjak of Iskandarun, is a Marxist-Leninist pro-Syrian government militia operating in northwest Syria.
The Jaysh al-Muwahhidin was a Druze militia group in the Syrian civil war.
Alwiya al-Furqan is an independent Islamist rebel group involved in the Syrian Civil War. It claimed to be the largest Islamist rebel faction that operated in the eastern Quneitra Governorate and Damascus. The group also held ties to Jordan which allowed fighters from the group to cross into the country to receive medical aid. During a sermon the group's leader stated that the Syrian opposition was building a Caliphate in Syria, that the rebels should emulate the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his companions in doing so.
The Deir ez-Zor Governorate campaign of the Syrian civil war consists of several battles and offensives fought across the governorate of Syria:
The Daraa and As-Suwayda offensive was launched in eastern Daraa Governorate during the Syrian Civil War, by the Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army and allied Islamic Front rebel group against government positions in and around the 52nd Mechanized Brigade base, which housed an infantry unit, an artillery battalion and a T-72 tank battalion. The offensive moved directly onto nearby al-Thula airbase in western As-Suwayda Governorate after the swift capture of Brigade 52. However, after initially managing to capture parts of the airbase, the rebels were forced to withdraw.
The 2015 Hama offensive was a military operation launched by Syrian rebels during the Syrian Civil War in the northern parts of Hama Governorate.
The Khalid ibn al-Walid Army was an armed Salafi jihadist group active in southern Syria. It was formed by a merger of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, the Islamic Muthanna Movement, and the Army of Jihad on 21 May 2016. The faction controlled a strip of territory southeast of the Golan Heights, and was in conflict with other forces of the Syrian rebels. The group was defeated and lost all of its territory to the Syrian Government on 31 July 2018, with many members surrendering. Many captured members of the Khalid ibn al-Walid Army were executed on the same day.
The Quneitra offensive was launched by Syrian rebel forces, during the Syrian Civil War, in order to capture the government-held town of Hader, Quneitra Governorate.
The Conquering Lion of God Forces of Iraq and the Levant, more commonly known by its original name or simply LAAG, is a Shia Muslim militant group operating throughout Syria and Iraq. It is named after the title of Imam Ali.
The Guardians of Syria Forces - Lions of Hussein, formerly known as Lions of Hussein Brigade and often shortened to Lions of Hussein, are an Alawite militia which fights for the Ba'athist government during the Syrian Civil War. The unit originates as Shabiha, a criminal organization that has operated in Latakia Governorate since the 1980s, and only adopted its current name and appearance in 2015. Since then, the Lions of Hussein reportedly continued their "criminal activities on the side".
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi is an Iraqi living in Britain who specialises in the Syrian Civil War, Iraqi Civil War and the Islamic State. He has been consulted as an expert by major media outlets including Al Jazeera,The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, and others. He authored a major report published by the New York Times in partnership with George Washington University in their 2020 series, "The ISIS report". He has faced criticism over his alleged sympathies towards ISIL in his work, as well as his conduct and alleged close relationships with ISIL fighters.
The Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes, also known as the Tribal Army and the Tribal Fighters, is a multi-tribal militia affiliated with the Syrian Military Intelligence Directorate that takes part in the Syrian Civil War. Led by Turki al Buhamad, the Fighters of the Tribes played a vital role in the Assad government's efforts to retake central and eastern Syria. The militia is affiliated with the pro-Ba'athist branch of the Arab Socialist Movement, and is closely allied with Russia.
The As-Suwayda offensive began on 7 June in the rural parts of the Suwayda Governorate in southeastern Syria, after an evacuation deal was made between ISIL and the Syrian government concluding an anti-ISIL offensive in southern Damascus.
The 2018 Southern Syria offensive, code-named Operation Basalt, was a military operation launched by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies against the rebels and ISIL in Southern Syria. The fighting began with a surprise attack on rebel-held areas in the eastern part of the Daraa Governorate in an attempt to fracture rebel-held lines and weaken morale, ahead of their offensive in the greater Southern Syria region.
The 2018 As-Suwayda attacks were a string of suicide bombings and gun attacks that took place in and around As-Suwayda, Syria on 25 July, killing at least 258 people and injuring 180 others. The attacks were committed by the Islamic State and largely targeted Syria's Druze minority.
The As-Suwayda offensive began on 6 August 2018, in rural areas of the Suwayda Governorate in southeast Syria after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) members committed a string of suicide bombings and gun attacks.
The Arab Socialist Movement's Damascus branch is a Syrian political party that operates from Damascus. It originated as faction of the Arab Socialist Movement, a party which broke apart in the 1960s, and continues to claim the original party's name and legacy. The Damascus branch is headed by Abdul-Ghani Qannout, and joined the Ba'ath Party-led National Progressive Front government in 1972 and has continued to support the al-Assad family's rule in Syria ever since. After Abdul-Ghani Qannout died in 2001, Ahmad al-Ahmad became the new secretary general; under him, the party continued its pro-government course, even during the Syrian Civil War. Amid the conflict's civil uprising phase, the Arab Socialist Movement's Damascus branch organised pro-government rallies. When the uprising escalated into a full insurgency, members of the party organised pro-government militias. Assistant secretary general Omar Adnan al-Alawi headed the National Defence Forces' Deir ez-Zor branch during part of the siege of Deir ez-Zor (2014–17), and was wounded in combat. A member of the party's political office, Turki Albu Hamad, played a leading role in founding the "Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes" militia.
Liwa Ahrar al-Raqqa, formerly known as the Jihad in the Path of God Brigade is a Free Syrian Army unit active during the Syrian Civil War, originating from the Raqqa Governorate but also active in the eastern Aleppo Governorate. It became part of the Euphrates Volcano operation room in 2015 and remained part of the operations room as it expanded into the Syrian Democratic Forces.
The March 2020 Daraa clashes was an armed conflict between rebel fighters aligned with the Free Syrian Army and Syrian government forces in the Daraa Governorate. Clashes began after the start of a government security operation against FSA insurgent cells in Al-Sanamayn and other areas in the Daraa governorate that have been active since 2018 after the defeat of rebel forces in the province. This crackdown led to actions of retaliation by rebels across the province that lead to levels of fighting unseen on such a scale since the government offensive in 2018. The fighters involved in the attack are believed to be former rebel fighters that surrendered to the government in 2018, as well as former rebels that defected to the government, and had been working against the government from within.
On 17 August 2023, popular protests driven by escalating economic hardships erupted in the Druze majority city of Al-Suwayda, initially drawing hundreds of participants. These protests, which quickly expanded in scope and intensity, saw thousands by 20 August chanting slogans demanding the downfall of the authoritarian Assad government, invoking memories of the Arab Spring. By 24 August, the protests had spread to the city of Daraa.
{{cite web}}
: |last=
has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)