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98-483: Idlib ( de facto by SSG ) The Syrian opposition ( Arabic : المعارضة السورية al-Muʻaraḍatu s-Sūrīyah , [almʊˈʕaːɾadˤɑtu s.suːˈɾɪj.ja] ) is the political structure represented by the Syrian National Coalition and associated Syrian anti-Assad groups with certain territorial control as an alternative Syrian government . The Syrian opposition has evolved since the beginning of

196-757: A partner for dialogue . The Syrian National Council was recognized or supported in some capacity by at least 17 member states of the United Nations , with three of those (France, United Kingdom and the United States) being permanent members of the Security Council . A broader opposition umbrella group, the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces , was formed in November 2012 and has gained recognition as

294-420: A " foreign terrorist organization ". In April 2013, Al-Nusra Front was publicly confirmed as the official Syrian affiliate of al-Qaeda , after Emir Ayman al-Zawahiri rejected the forced merger attempted by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and ordered the dissolution of newly-formed Islamic State of Iraq and Levant . In March 2015, the militia joined other Syrian Islamist groups to form a joint command center called

392-636: A "key figure" in the Syrian opposition, and Haytham Manna , who resigned from the SDC in March 2016 in protest of its announcement of the Northern Syria Federation . The SDC was rejected by some other opposition groups due to its system of federalism. The Syrian Democratic Council was invited to participate in the international Geneva III peace talks on Syria in March 2016. However, it rejected

490-440: A Syrian observer considered such a split unlikely, and in March 2015, al-Nusra's leadership denied a break-up or that talks with Qatar had occurred. Other Syrian observers considered such a split conceivable or imminent. With members of al-Qaeda still enmeshed throughout the group's leadership, it can be considered that al-Qaeda was not "external" to the group. After the announcement, numerous senior al-Qaeda members still within

588-651: A call for a four-day ceasefire in Syria during Eid al-Adha feast. In November 2012, they were considered by The Huffington Post to be the best trained and most experienced fighters among the Syrian rebels. According to spokesmen of a moderate wing of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Nusra had in November 2012 between 6,000 and 10,000 fighters, accounting for 7–9% of the FSA's total fighters. Commentator David Ignatius for The Washington Post described Nusra then as

686-622: A demilitarized buffer zone in Syria’s Idlib province, intended to separate Syrian government forces from rebel factions. Under the agreement, Turkish and Russian troops would patrol the zone to ensure compliance. Putin stated that all heavy weaponry would be removed from the area and that radical rebel groups, such as the Nusra Front, must withdraw. The buffer zone was set to be operational by October 15, 2018. In November 2024, several Syrian soldiers were reportedly injured, and structural damage

784-564: A firm shield and a striking hand to repel the attacks of this criminal Al Assad army with all the might we can muster. We promise to protect the lives of civilians and their possessions from security and the Shabiha [pro-government] militia. We are a people who will either gain victory or die." The March 2012 Damascus bombings were claimed by Nusra. The 10 May 2012 Damascus bombings were allegedly claimed by al-Nusra Front in an Internet video; however, on 15 May 2012, someone claiming to be

882-432: A greater long-term advantage. In early 2015, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri instructed al-Nusra Front leader Julani to pursue the following five goals: Both al-Qaeda and al-Nusra tried to take advantage of ISIL's rise by presenting themselves as "moderate" in comparison. While they had the same aim of establishing sharia and a caliphate, they intended to implement it in a more gradual manner. Al-Nusra criticized

980-419: A major producer of cotton fabrics. Western traveler Josias Leslie Porter noted that Idlib was "encompassed in olive groves, rare in this bleak region", and remarked that its olive groves were larger than those of Damascus, Beirut , or Gaza . In the mid-19th-century, the town had an estimated population of 8,000, including 500 Christians . In the late 19th century, Idlib was "flourishing" and still contained

1078-679: A new Sunni Islamist militant group. Tahrir al-Sham denies any links to the al-Qaeda network and said in a statement that the group is "an independent entity and not an extension of previous organizations or factions". Mutual hostilities eventually deteriorated into one of violent confrontations, with Al-Nusra commander Sami al-Oraydi accusing HTS of adopting nationalist doctrines. Sami al-Oraydi, alongside other Al-Qaeda loyalists like Abu Humam al-Shami , Abu Julaybib and others, mobilised Al-Qaeda personnel in northwestern Syria to establish an anti-HTS front in north-western Syria, eventually forming Hurras al-Din on 27 February 2018. From 2012 to 2013,

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1176-483: A number of Christian families, according to German orientalist Albert Socin . During the uprising since 2011 , Idlib was the focus of protests and fighting in the early phase of the Syrian war. As the uprising descended into armed conflict, Idlib became the focus of a rebel campaign, which temporarily captured the city and the governorate, prior to a government offensive in April 2012. After this, government forces retook

1274-918: A part of the Syrian National Coalition, withdrew on 20 January 2014 in protest at the decision of the coalition to attend the Geneva talks . Despite tensions, the Syrian National Council retained a degree of ties with the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. Syrian opposition groups held reconciliation talks in Astana, Kazakhstan in October 2015. In late 2015, the Syrian Interim Government relocated its headquarters to

1372-700: A permanent transitional council in form of the Syrian National Council . The Syrian opposition does not have a definitive political structure. In December 2015, members of the Syrian opposition convened in Riyadh , Saudi Arabia: 34 groups attended the convention, which aimed to produce a unified delegation for negotiations with the Syrian government . Notable groups present included: The December 2015 convention notably did not include: The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces

1470-534: A press conference held at the Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing has also announced the formation of four commissions: Inspection Authority, Prisoners and missing Affairs, Planning and Statistics Authority, and the Union of Trade Unions. The founder of the Free Syrian Army , Col. Riad al-Asaad , was appointed as deputy prime minister for military affairs. The SSG is associated with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and not recognised by

1568-455: A spokesman for the group denied that the organisation was responsible for the attack, saying that it would only release information through jihadist forums. On 29 May 2012, a mass execution was discovered near the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor . The unidentified corpses of 13 men had been discovered shot to death execution-style. On 5 June 2012, al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility for the killings, stating that they had captured and interrogated

1666-519: A strict interpretation of Shari'a and imposed punishments amounting to torture or other ill-treatment for perceived infractions." Members of the group were accused of attacking the religious beliefs of non-Sunnis in Syria, such as the Alawites . The New York Times journalist C. J. Chivers cites "some analysts and diplomats" as noting that al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and

1764-414: A ten-day religious training course, followed by a 15–20-day military training program. Al-Nusra contained a hierarchy of religious bodies, with a small Majlis-ash-Shura (Consultative Council) at the top, making national decisions on behalf of the group. Religious personnel also played an important role in the regional JN leadership, with each region having a commander and a sheikh. The sheikh supervised

1862-512: A town with markets, bathhouses and caravanserais , including Khan Abi Ali and Khan al-Ruz. From the Köprülü period, Idlib was a center of olive production. which in turn gave way to a prosperous olive-based soap industry. Although the major markets for Idlib's soap were at Aleppo , Antioch , and Hama , the product was exported as far as the Ottoman capital of Istanbul . Idlib was also

1960-488: A whole is characterised as "terrorist" by Iran , Russia and Syria. Initially, the Free Syrian Army was perceived as the ultimate military force of the Syrian Opposition, but with the collapse of many FSA factions and emergence of powerful Islamist groups, it became clear to the opposition that only a cooperation of secular military forces and moderate Islamists could form a sufficient coalition to battle both

2058-601: Is a Syrian bloc chaired by Hassan Abdel Azim and consisting of 13 left-wing political parties and "independent political and youth activists". Reuters has defined the committee as the internal opposition 's main umbrella group. The NCC initially had several Kurdish political parties as members, but all except for the Democratic Union Party left in October 2011 to join the Kurdish National Council . Some opposition activists have accused

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2156-530: Is a coalition of opposition groups and individuals, mostly exilic, who support the Syrian revolutionary side and oppose the Assad government ruling Syria. It formed on 11 November 2012 at a conference of opposition groups and individuals held in Doha , Qatar . It has relations with other opposition organizations such as the Syrian National Council, the previous iteration of an exilic political body attempting to represent

2254-507: Is an area that extends in northeastern Syria and includes parts of the governorates Al-Hasakah, Al-Raqqa, Aleppo and Deir ez-Zor. The capital of the area is Ain Issa , a town belonging to the Al-Raqqa governorate. The Administration is headed by Siham Qaryo and Farid Atti with a joint head. In January 2014, a number of parties, social actors, and civil institutions announced the formation of

2352-686: Is from the Golan Heights ( al-Jawlan , in Arabic). Prior to the formation of Jabhat al-Nusra, Abu Mohammad al-Julani was a senior member of Islamic State of Iraq, heading operations in Nineveh Governorate . On 18 December 2013, he gave his first television interview, to Tayseer Allouni , a journalist originally from Syria, for Al Jazeera, and spoke classical Arabic with a Syrian accent. Founder and Emir of al-Nusra Front Deputy leader and senior religious official in al-Nusra Left

2450-732: Is fully under the control of the entity. Governorates with partial opposition control include: Governorates under partial control of opposition groups aligned with the Syrian Interim Government: Governorates under partial control of opposition groups aligned with the Syrian Democratic Council: In April 2015, after the Second Battle of Idlib , the interim seat of the Syrian Interim Government

2548-945: Is in conflict with the more extreme Tahrir al-Sham , which is one of the largest armed groups in Idlib Governorate. The Syrian Salvation Government is an alternative government of the Syrian opposition seated within Idlib Governorate , which was formed by the General Syrian Conference in September 2017. The domestic group has appointed Mohammed al-Sheikh as head of the Government with 11 more ministers for Interior, Justice, Endowment, Higher Education, Education, Health, Agriculture, Economy, Social Affairs and Displaced, Housing and Reconstruction and Local Administration and Services. Al-Sheikh, in

2646-554: The 2003 American invasion in Iraq ; Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari agreed to that in 2012. The British The Daily Telegraph stated in December 2012 that many foreign al-Nusra fighters were hardened veterans from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. By the second half of 2012, Jabhat al-Nusra stood out among the array of armed groups emerging in Syria as a disciplined and effective fighting force. Nusra in October 2012 refused

2744-750: The Alawite hegemony. Syrian Ikhwan was inspired by the Syrian Salafiyya movement led by Muhammad Rashid Rida , an influential Sunni Islamic theologian who is respected as their Imam . In line with the teachings of Rashid Rida, the Muslim Brotherhood advocates the replacement of the Ba’ath party rule with an Islamic state led by an Emir elected by qualified Muslim delegates known as Ahl al-Hall wa-al-‘Aqd . The Islamic government should implement laws based on sharia (Islamic law) with

2842-780: The Army of Conquest . In July 2016, al-Nusra formally re-designated itself from Jabhat al-Nusra to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ("Front for the Conquest of the Levant") and officially announced that it was breaking ties with Al-Qaeda. The announcement caused defections of senior Al-Nusra commanders and criticism from al-Qaeda ranks, provoking a harsh rebuke from Ayman al-Zawahiri , who denounced it as an "act of disobedience". On 28 January 2017, following violent clashes with Ahrar al-Sham and other rebel groups, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (JFS) merged with four other groups to form Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS),

2940-454: The Islamist 'religious prison' Nusra might be wanting to turn Syria into. The 6 January 2012 al-Midan bombing was claimed by al-Nusra, in a video seen by AFP on 29 February 2012. It was allegedly carried out by Abu al-Baraa al-Shami. Footage of the destruction caused by the blast was released on a jihadist forum. An al-Nusra-affiliated group announced the formation of the " Free Ones of

3038-649: The Kurdish National Alliance in Syria , the Law–Citizenship–Rights Movement , and since September 2016 the Syria's Tomorrow Movement . The last group is led by former National Coalition president and Syrian National Council Ahmad Jarba . In August 2016 the SDC opened a public office in al-Hasakah . The Syrian Democratic Council is considered an "alternative opposition" bloc. Its leaders included former NCC members such as Riad Darar ,

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3136-605: The November 2015 Paris attacks , saying that even though they view ISIL as "dogs of hellfire", they applaud when "infidels" get attacked by ISIL. In an Amnesty International report in July 2016, the al-Nusra Front was accused of torture , child abduction , and summary execution . In December 2014, al-Nusra Front fighters shot dead a woman execution-style on accusations of adultery . They have also stoned to death women accused of extramarital relations. Overall, they have "applied

3234-601: The Syrian Revolution such as the Free Syrian Army were focused on ending the decades-long reign of the Assad family , al-Nusra Front also sought the unification of Islamist forces in a post-Assad Syria, anticipating a new stage of the civil war. It denounced the international assistance in support of the Syrian opposition as " imperialism "; viewing it as a long-term threat to its Islamist goals in Syria. In December 2012, US Department of State designated it as

3332-532: The Syrian civil uprising against the government of Bashar al-Assad . Initially, the council denied seeking to play the role of a government in exile , but this changed a few months later when violence in Syria intensified. The Syrian National Council seeks the end of Bashar al-Assad's rule and the establishment of a modern, civil, democratic state . The SNC National Charter lists human rights , judicial independence , press freedom , democracy and political pluralism as its guiding principles. In November 2012

3430-473: The Turkish Controlled areas . The Salvation Government extends authority mostly in the Idlib Governorate. The Syrian Free Army maintains the al-Tanf Garrison. Due to this garrison being inside an American De-Escalation zone, the garrison is not often attacked, nor does it often attempt to expand its territory. The foreign relations of the Syrian opposition refers to the external relations of

3528-723: The "legitimate representative of the Syrian people" by the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG) and as a "representative of aspirations of Syrian people" by the Arab League . The Syrian National Coalition was subsequently considered to take the seat of Syria in the Arab League, with the representative of Bashar Al-Assad's government suspended that year. The Syrian National Council, initially

3626-502: The "near enemy" of the Syrian regime rather than on global jihad. Syrian members of the group claimed that they are fighting only the Assad regime and would not attack Western states; while the official policy of the group was to regard the United States and Israel as enemies of Islam, and to warn against Western intervention in Syria, al-Nusra Front leader Julani stated that "We are only here to accomplish one mission, to fight

3724-539: The 2004 census by the Central Bureau of Statistics of Syria , Idlib had a population of 98,791 and in 2010 the population was around 165,000. The inhabitants are mostly Sunni Muslim , although there was previously a significant Christian minority, but by 2022 there was only a single elderly Christian man left in the city. Idlib is divided into six main districts: Ashrafiyah (the most populous), Hittin, Hejaz, Downtown, Hurriyah, and al-Qusour. Idlib, along with

3822-585: The American ambassador to Syria, R. Ford, had said: "Extremist groups like Jabhat al-Nusra are a problem, an obstacle to finding the political solution that Syria's going to need". In August 2012, there were signs of Nusra co-operating with other rebels. The group took part in military operations with the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Abu Haidar, a Syrian FSA co-ordinator in Aleppo 's Saif al-Dawla district said that al-Nusra Front "have experienced fighters who are like

3920-585: The Autonomous Administration to fill the power vacuum that existed at that time in the Syrian Kurdish regions. Although its authority has not been recognized or authorized by any formal agreement involving the sovereign Syrian state or any international power, its presence in the region and its ability to wield power was unchallenged. Various Syrian opposition groups have at least some presence in seven Syrian governorates, though none

4018-593: The Committee have included: The Syrian Democratic Council was established on 10 December 2015 in al-Malikiyah . It was co-founded by prominent human rights activist Haytham Manna and was intended as the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces . The council includes more than a dozen blocs and coalitions that support federalism in Syria, including the Movement for a Democratic Society ,

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4116-521: The Conquest of the Levant , was a Salafi jihadist organization fighting against Syrian government forces in the Syrian Civil War . Its aim was to overthrow president Bashar al-Assad and establish an Islamic state ruled by Sharia law in Syria . Formed in 2012, in November of that year The Washington Post described al-Nusra as "the most aggressive and successful" of the rebel forces. While secular and pro-democratic rebel groups of

4214-707: The Council agreed to unite with several other opposition groups to form the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces , with the SNC having 22 out of 60 seats. The Council withdrew from the Coalition on 20 January 2014 in protest at the decision of the Coalition to attend talks in Geneva . Notable members of the Council include: The National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change ( NCC ), or National Coordination Body for Democratic Change ( NCB ),

4312-672: The Druze to renounce their religion, destroyed their shrines and now considers them Sunni. Emile Hokayem, senior fellow at the IISS , asserted that the Al-Jazeera news network was actively involved in the "mainstreaming" of the Al-Nusra Front in Syria. The leader of al-Nusra, a self-proclaimed emir , goes by the name of Abu Mohammad al-Julani ( also transliterated as Mohammed and al-Jawlani , or al-Golani), which implies that he

4410-571: The Free Aleppo University. By late 2017, it presided over 12 provincial councils and over 400 elected local councils. It also operates a major border crossing between Syria and Turkey, which generates an estimated $ 1 million revenue each month. It is internationally recognized by the European Union and the United States, among others. It maintains diplomatic ties with some non-FSA rebel groups, such as Ahrar al-Sham , but

4508-410: The Levant "can appear less focused on toppling" the Assad government than on "establishing a zone of influence spanning Iraq's Anbar Province and the desert eastern areas of Syria, and eventually establishing an Islamic territory under their administration". On 10 June 2015, al-Nusra fighters shot dead at least 20 Druze civilians in a village after one of them, a supporter of the Assad regime, opposed

4606-616: The Levant Battalions ", in a YouTube video statement that was released on 23 January 2012. In the statement, the group claimed that it attacked the headquarters of security in Idlib province. "To all the free people of Syria, we announce the formation of the Free Ones of the Levant Battalions," the statement said, according to a translation obtained by The Long War Journal. "We promise Allah, and then we promise you, that we will be

4704-675: The NCC of being a " front organization " for Bashar al-Assad 's government and have denounced some of its members as ex-government insiders. The NCC generally has poor relationships with other Syrian political opposition groups. The Syrian Revolution General Commission , the Local Coordination Committees of Syria , and the Supreme Council of the Syrian Revolution oppose the NCC calls to dialogue with

4802-471: The Syrian Government forces and radical Jihadists such as ISIL and in some cases al-Nusra Front . In 2014, the military forces associated with the Syrian Opposition were defined by the Syrian Revolutionary Command Council , which in turn was mainly relying on the Free Syrian Army (with links to Syrian National Coalition ) and the Islamic Front (Syria) . Members of the Syrian Revolutionary Command Council: Other rebel fighting forces: Idlib In

4900-444: The Syrian Interim Government (SIG). Hitto has announced that a technical government will be formed which will be led by between 10 and 12 ministers, with the Free Syrian Army choosing the Minister of Defense. The SIG is based in Turkey. It has been the primary civilian authority throughout most of opposition-held Syria. Its system of administrative local councils operate services such as schools and hospitals in these areas, as well as

4998-539: The Syrian Islamic Front was established the same year to topple the Assadist military dictatorship through an armed revolution. The Front got widespread support from the traditional Sunni ulema and the conservative population; enabling the Syrian Ikhwan al-Muslimeen to rise as the most powerful opposition force by the 1980s. As the revolutionary wave commonly referred to as the Arab Spring began to take shape in early 2011, Syrian protesters began consolidating opposition councils. The Istanbul Meeting for Syria ,

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5096-425: The Syrian conflict from groups calling for the overthrow of the Assad government in Syria and who have opposed its Ba'athist government . Prior to the Syrian civil war , the term "opposition" ( Arabic : المعارضة ) had been used to refer to traditional political actors, for example the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change ; that is, groups and individuals who have had a history of dissidence against

5194-425: The Syrian government. In September 2012 the Syrian National Council (SNC) reaffirmed that despite broadening its membership, it would not join with "currents close to [the] NCC". Despite the NCC recognizing the Free Syrian Army (FSA) on 23 September 2012, the FSA has dismissed the NCC as an extension of the government, stating that "this opposition is just the other face of the same coin". Notable former members of

5292-707: The Syrian opposition (41 percent in the areas it controlled), compared to 47 percent who supported the Syrian Arab Republic's government (73 percent in the areas it controlled), 35 percent who supported the Al-Nusra Front (58 percent in the areas it controlled), and 22 percent who supported the Islamic State (71 percent in the areas it controlled). A March 2018 ORB International Poll with a similar method and sample size found that support had changed to 40% Syrian government, 40% Syrian opposition (in general), 15% Syrian Democratic Forces , 10% al-Nusra Front, and 4% Islamic State (crossover may exist between supporters of factions). Syria has been an independent republic since 1946 after

5390-426: The Syrian state. The first opposition structures to form in the Syrian uprising were local protest-organizing committees. These formed in April 2011, as protesters graduated from spontaneous protests to protests organized by meetings beforehand. The Syrian uprising phase , from March 2011 until the start of August 2011, was characterized by a consensus for nonviolent struggle among the uprising's participants. Thus

5488-573: The al-Nusra Front's full name was the " Victory Front for the People of the Levant by the Mujahideen of the Levant on the Fields of Jihad " ( Arabic : جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام من مجاهدي الشام في ساحات الجهاد , romanized :  Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-ahli ash-Shām min Mujahideen ash-Shām fi Sahat al-Jihad ). The al-Nusra Front is estimated to be primarily made up of Syrian jihadists. Its goals were to overthrow Bashar al-Assad 's government in Syria and to create an Islamic emirate under sharia law, with an emphasis from an early stage on focusing on

5586-457: The announcement. Despite the group re-branding and announcing no external affiliations, the United States Central Command continued to consider it to be a branch of al-Qaeda and "an organization to be concerned about". Al-Jazeera journalist Sharif Nashashibi noted that immediately after the rebranding, both the US and Russia called it "cosmetic" and promised that air strikes would continue" against al-Nusra. Journalist Robin Wright described

5684-415: The assistance of ulema who are to be consulted on solving contemporary challenges. The power of the ruler is also to be checked by the provisions laid out in an Islamic constitution through shura (consultation) with the Ahl al-Hall wa-al-‘Aqd . Assad regime introduced Law No. 49 in 1980 which banned the movement and instituted death penalty of anyone accused of membership in the Brotherhood. In response,

5782-626: The border from Iraq into Syria , and reached out to Islamists released from Syria's Sednaya military prison in May–June 2011 who were already active in fighting against Assad's security forces. The six men who founded Nusra alongside Julani were Saleh al-Hamawi (Syrian), Abu Maria Al-Qahtani (Iraqi), Mustafa Abd al-Latif al-Saleh (kunya:Abu Anas al-Sahaba) (Jordanian/Palestinian), Iyad Tubasi (kunya: Abu Julaybib) (Jordanian/Palestinian), Abu Omar al-Filistini (Palestinian) and Anas Hassan Khattab (Syria). A number of meetings were held between October 2011 and January 2012 in Rif Dimashq and Homs , where

5880-421: The city and the rebel-controlled province after a month of fighting, prior to the attempted enforcement of the ceasefire proposed by Kofi Annan . After the 2015 Idlib offensive in March, the rebel alliance Army of Conquest , led by the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham , succeeded in the Second Battle of Idlib and captured the city, as well as besieging the Shi'a-majority towns of Al-Fu'ah and Kafriya to

5978-404: The city contains over 17,000 of the Ebla tablets and serves as Idlib's main tourist attraction, excluding the nearby ancient site of Ebla itself. Under the Technical and Financial Cooperation Agreement between the governments of Italy and Syria, the museum was to undergo a restoration and renovation project starting in 2010. Omayya SC , founded in 1972, is the most popular football team in

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6076-411: The city of Azaz in North Syria and began to execute some authority in the area. In 2017, the opposition government in the Idlib Governorate was challenged by the rival Syrian Salvation Government , backed by the Islamist faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). A July 2015 ORB International poll of 1,365 adults across all of Syria's 14 governorates found that about 26 percent of the population supported

6174-452: The city's local industries. The nearby city of Aleppo has an important economic presence in Idlib. Idlib is a major agricultural center of Syria, the Idlib area is also historically significant, containing many "dead cities" and tells . Because of the rapidly declining value of the Syrian pound , the Turkish lira became widespread in use in Idlib and was adopted as legal tender in the city on 15 June 2020. The Idlib Regional Museum in

6272-551: The city. The club played in the Syrian Premier League for the 2011-2012 season . Idlib Municipal Stadium is the main football venue in the city. 35°56′N 36°38′E  /  35.933°N 36.633°E  / 35.933; 36.633 Refugee and parathlete Dima Aktaa is from the city. Al-Nusra Front Non-state allies Non-state opponents Syrian-affiliated groups Syrian Democratic Forces Shi'ite groups Islamic State and Islamic State affiliates Al-Nusra Front , also known as Front for

6370-740: The commander from a religious perspective and is known as dabet al-shar'i (religious commissioner). A number of Americans have attempted to join the fighting in Syria, specifically with al-Nusra. Sinh Vinh Ngo Nguyen , also known as Hasan Abu Omar Ghannoum , was arrested in California on 11 October 2013, on charges of attempting to travel to join al-Qaeda, after reportedly having fought in Syria. As of November 2013, there had also been five additional publicly disclosed cases of Americans fighting in Syria, three of which were linked to al-Nusra. In February 2015, charges of conspiracy to support terrorism were laid against six Bosnian-Americans who were alleged to have financially supported another Bosnian-American,

6468-465: The conflict could not have been yet characterized as a "civil war", until army units defected in response to government reprisals against the protest movement. This occurred 2012, allowing the conflict to meet the definition of "civil war." Opposition groups in Syria took a new turn in late 2011, during the Syrian Civil War , as they united to form the Syrian National Council (SNC), which has received significant international support and recognition as

6566-449: The existence of this alleged "Khorasan group" in an interview with Al-Jazeera on 28 May 2015. Upon the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, Islamic State of Iraq's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and al-Qaeda's central command authorized the Syrian Abu Mohammad al-Golani to set up a Syrian offshoot of al Qaeda in August 2011, to bring down the Assad government and establish an Islamic state there. Golani and six colleagues crossed

6664-413: The expropriation of his house by a Nusra commander. Al-Nusra's leadership issued an apology and claimed that the killings had been carried out against the group's guidelines. In an official statement issued a few days later, the organization expressed "deep regret" regarding the incident, acknowledging that the killings were carried out by certain members without orders from the leadership and in violation of

6762-408: The expulsion of the French forces . For decades, the country was partially stable with a series of coups until the Ba'ath Party seized power in Syria in 1963 after a coup d'état . The head of state since 1971 has been a member of the Assad dynasty , beginning with Hafez al-Assad (1971–2000). Syria was under emergency law from the time of the 1963 Syrian coup d'état until 21 April 2011, when it

6860-434: The first convention of the Syrian opposition, took place on 26 April 2011, during the Syrian civil uprising . There followed the Antalya Conference for Change in Syria or Antalya Opposition Conference , a three-day conference of representatives of the Syrian opposition held from 31 May until 3 June 2011 in Antalya , Turkey. Organized by Ammar al-Qurabi 's National Organization for Human Rights in Syria and financed by

6958-416: The focus on fighting the government. The tactics of al-Nusra Front differed markedly from those of rival jihadist group ISIL ; whereas ISIL has alienated local populations by demanding their allegiance and carrying out beheadings, al-Nusra Front cooperated with other militant groups and declined to impose sharia law where there has been opposition. Analysts have noted this could have given the al-Nusra Front

7056-450: The grassroots movement; the union of the two was planned, but has failed to realize. Moderate Islamic preacher Moaz al-Khatib , who had protested on the Syrian street in the early nonviolent phase of the uprising, served a term as the president of the coalition, but soon resigned his post, frustrated with the gap between the body and the grassroots of the uprising inside Syria. Riad Seif and Suheir Atassi , both of whom had also protested on

7154-541: The group after the formation of Tahrir al-Sham . Held the position of general religious authority and Emir of the Eastern area until 30 July 2014 The structure of the group varied across Syria. In Damascus , the organisation operated in an underground clandestine cell system , while in Aleppo , the group was organised along semi-conventional military lines, with units divided into brigades , regiments , and platoons . All potential recruits were required to undertake

7252-487: The group were targeted by the US in airstrikes . The group's leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani , in his first recorded video message, stated its new name would be Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ("Front for the Conquest of the Levant"). During the renaming announcement in July 2016, al-Julani thanked al-Qaeda leaders Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Khayr al-Masri . Ahmad Salama Mabruk , an associate of al-Zawahiri, sat alongside al-Julani during

7350-567: The invitations because no representatives of the Movement for a Democratic Society , led by the Democratic Union Party , were invited. Several political parties and organizations existed inside Syria, and they reached the dome of the People's Assembly . Among these parties are included: At a conference held in Istanbul on 19 March 2013 members of the National Coalition elected Ghassan Hitto as prime minister of an interim government for Syria,

7448-433: The late Abdullah Ramo Pazara , who they alleged died fighting with al-Nusra in 2014. In September 2015 Nusra absorbed Katibat Imam al Bukhari , an Uzbek group which is a part of al-Qaeda. Child soldiers were used by Katibat Imam al-Bukhari. al-Fu'ah and Kafriya were attacked by the group in September 2015. They also participated in the 2015 Jisr al-Shughur offensive . It was estimated that al-Nusra's fighting force

7546-582: The long term. The main criticism of defectors from ISIL is that the group is killing and fighting other Sunni Muslims, and that they are unhappy that other Sunnis like Jabhat al-Nusra are being attacked by ISIL. A video called The Heirs of Glory was issued by al-Nusra in 2015, which included old audio by Osama bin Laden (such as his 1998 announcement that "So we seek to incite the Islamic Nation so it may rise to liberate its lands and perform Jihad in

7644-653: The middle of the seventh century. Not much remains from Roman and Byzantine times in the city, except in its museum. North of the city are the Dead Cities , a collection of important archaeological sites from the Byzantine era. During early Ottoman rule in Syria, beginning in 1516, Idlib was a small timar (fief). The village of Idlib was founded by Fadil Ahmed Pasha , the son of Grand Vizier Köprülü Mehmed Pasha ( r.  1656–1661 ) who appointed him governor of Damascus Eyalet . In later years, it developed as

7742-488: The most aggressive and successful arm of the FSA. The United States Department of State stated likewise: "From the reports we get from the doctors, most of the injured and dead FSA are Jabhat al-Nusra, due to their courage and [the fact they are] always at the front line". On 10 December 2012, the U.S. designated Nusra a foreign terrorist organization and an alias of Al Qaeda in Iraq . That decision made it illegal for Americans to deal financially with Nusra. Days earlier,

7840-586: The move was effective with many conservative Sunnis in the region, and that hundreds of them joined its ranks since the rebranding, believing the group to be "less extreme" than the rival Islamic State . Khorasan, also known as the Khorasan Group, is an alleged group of senior al-Qaeda members who operate in Syria. The group has been reported to consist of a small number of fighters who are all on terrorist watchlists, and to co-ordinate with al-Nusra Front. Al-Nusra Front leader Abu Mohammad al-Golani denied

7938-457: The north of Idlib city. In April 2015, the interim seat of the Syrian opposition 's Syrian Interim Government was proposed to be Idlib, in Idlib Governorate. On 23 July 2017, Tahrir al-Sham , the successor to the al-Nusra Front, expelled the remaining forces of Ahrar al-Sham from Idlib, capturing the entire city. On September 17, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced an agreement to establish

8036-577: The objectives of the group were determined. Golani's group formally announced itself under the name "Jabhat al-Nusra l'Ahl as-Sham" (Support Front for the People of the Sham) on 23 January 2012. Iraq's deputy interior minister said in early February 2012 that weapons and Islamist militants were entering Syria from Iraq. The Quilliam Foundation reported that many of Nusra's members were Syrians who were part of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi 's Islamist network fighting

8134-491: The organization's policies. Al-Nusra Front also sent a delegation to the Druze community in the village and assured that the perpetrators of the massacre would be brought to trial in a Sharia court . Analysts at the American magazine Foreign Affairs asserted that Al-Jazeera was engaged in whitewashing Al-Nusra and that there was absolutely no reference to the Druze in Al-Nusra's "apology", claiming that Al-Nusrah forced

8232-542: The path of Allah, and to establish the law of Allah, so the Word of Allah may be supreme"). The video glorified the 11 September attacks and the Islamists Sayyid Qutb and Abdullah Azzam . Its magazine, Al Risalah , was first issued in July 2015. In 2015 Al-Qaeda leader al-Zawahiri urged ISIL fighters to unite with all other jihadists against their enemies and stop the infighting. The Nusra Front praised

8330-422: The rebranding as a "jihadi shell game" and "expedient fiction"—a tactic known as "marbling" by jihadi groups—and that as of December 2016 Al-Qaeda had embedded "two dozen senior personnel" in the group. Writing shortly after the rebranding, Nashashibi argued that it might help generate more "regional support", which the group needed in the face of Syrian government and Russian military success. Wright wrote that

8428-457: The regime and its agents on the ground, including Hezbollah and others". In early 2014, Sami al-Oraydi , a top sharia official in the group, acknowledged that it is influenced by the teachings of al-Qaeda member Abu Musab al-Suri . The strategies derived from Abu Musab's guidelines included providing services to people, avoiding being seen as extremists, maintaining strong relationships with local communities and other fighting groups, and putting

8526-812: The rest of Syria were conquered by the Armenian king Tigranes the Great , and incorporated in the Armenian Empire , only to be later conquered by the Roman Pompey the Great around 64 BC. The city was never of much significance, belonging to the province of Roman Syria under the Roman Empire , and later to the Eastern Roman province of Syria Secunda before being conquered by the Arabs around

8624-469: The rest of the opposition, which is in conflict with HTS. There is a sharp ideological divide between the two competing opposition civil authorities: The SIG espouses secular , moderate values and regularly participates in international peace talks; the SSG enforces a strict interpretation of Islamic law and stringently rejects talks with the Syrian regime. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria

8722-498: The revolution's elite commando troops." In October–December 2012 Nusra received words of praise and appreciation for their efforts in the "revolution" against Assad from non-specified 'rebels', an FSA spokesman in the Aleppo region, a group of 29 civilian and military groups, and the leader of the Syrian National Coalition . At the same time, two anonymous FSA leaders, and a secular rebel in north Syria, expressed disapproval of

8820-446: The self-proclaimed oppositional Syrian Arab Republic, which sees itself as the genuine Syria. The region of control of Syrian opposition affiliated groups is not well defined. The Turkish government recognizes Syrian opposition as the genuine Syrian Arab Republic and hosts several of its institutions on its territory. The seat of Syria in the Arab League is reserved for the Syrian opposition since 2014, but not populated. The opposition as

8918-475: The soldiers in Deir ez-Zor and "justly" punished them with death, after they confessed to crimes. On 17 June 2012, Walid Ahmad al-Ayesh, described by Syrian authorities as the "right hand" of al-Nusra Front, was killed when Syrian authorities discovered his hiding place. He was reportedly responsible for the making of car bombs that were used to attack Damascus in the previous months. The Syrian authorities reported

9016-705: The street in Syria early in the uprising, were elected as vice presidents. Mustafa Sabbagh is the coalition's secretary-general. Notable members of the Coalition include: The Syrian National Council ( al- Majlis al-Waṭanī as-Sūri ) sometimes known as SNC , the Syrian National Transitional Council or the National Council of Syria , is a Syrian opposition coalition, based in Istanbul ( Turkey ), formed in August 2011 during

9114-475: The way ISIL alienated people by precipitously instituting sharia, preferring the more gradual approach favored by al-Qaeda of preparing society through indoctrination and education before implementing the hudud (scripturally-mandated punishment) aspects of sharia. They particularly criticised ISIL's enthusiasm for punishments such as executing gay people, chopping limbs off, and public stoning . However, Al-Qaeda agrees that hudud punishments should be implemented in

9212-611: The wealthy Damascene Sanqar family, it led to a final statement refusing compromise or reform solutions, and to the election of a 31-member leadership. After the Antalya conference, a follow-up meeting took place two days later in Brussels , then another gathering in Paris that was addressed by Bernard Henri Levy . It took a number of further meetings in Istanbul and Doha before yet another meeting on 23 August 2011 in Istanbul set up

9310-521: Was approximately 30% foreign fighters and 70% local Islamists in July 2016. All statements and videos by al-Nusra Front have been released by its media outlet, al-Manarah al-Bayda ( Arabic : المنارة البيضاء ) (The White Minaret), via the leading jihadist webforum Shamoukh al-Islam ( Arabic : شموخ الإسلام ). In early 2015, there were reports that Qatar and other Gulf states were trying to get al-Nusra to split away from al-Qaeda, after which they would support al-Nusra with money. Western observers and

9408-697: Was caused during an Israeli airstrike in the Aleppo and Idlib area, as reported by Syria's state-run SANA news agency. Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot-summer Mediterranean ( Csa ). Summers are hot and rainless, while winters are rainy and cool. The all-time record high temperature was 44 °C (111 °F) on June 16, 2012. Idlib is a major production center for olives , cotton , wheat and fruits, particularly cherries. Other principal crops include almonds , sesame seeds , figs, grapes and tomatoes. In 1995 there were roughly 300 hectares planted with various citrus crop. Olive oil pressing and textiles are some of

9506-423: Was proposed to be Idlib, in the Idlib Governorate. However, this move was rejected by the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham -led Army of Conquest , which between them controlled Idlib. According to the Syrian National Coalition, in 2017 there were 404 opposition-aligned local councils operating in villages, towns, and cities controlled by rebel forces. In 2016, the Syrian Interim Government became established within

9604-612: Was rescinded by Bashar al-Assad , Hafez's eldest surviving son and the current President of Syria . The rule of Assad dynasty was marked by heavy repression of secular opposition factions such as the Arab nationalist Nasserists and liberal democrats . The biggest organised resistance to the Ba’athist rule has been the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood ; which successfully capitalised on the widespread Sunni resentment against

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