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57-888: The military wing of the assembly is the Syrian Turkmen Brigades , and they are against the partition of Syria after the collapse of the Ba'athist government and they are protecting the Turkmen settlements and regions from the Syrian al-Assad government, ISIL , and the YPG , while participating in various offensives and sieges and also carrying out attacks on strategical positions for Turkmens and Turkey . The assembly has been officially represented Syrian Turkmens in Geneva peace talks on Syria in 2016 as an official diplomatic part of

114-420: 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

171-492: 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

228-707: 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

285-564: 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

342-432: 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

399-679: 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,

456-455: 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

513-519: 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

570-414: 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

627-562: A year, and the meetings will be conducted once a quarter. At the moment, 18 representatives of Syrian Turkmen Assembly are represented in the Syrian National Council , and four members in the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces . The representatives of Syrian Turkmen Assembly was constituted during the second organisation of Syrian Turkmen Platform on 30 March 2013, and that became

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684-829: Is a member of the Grey Wolves . The subdivisions are the Brigade of Mountain Turkmen, the Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror Brigade, the Sultan Selim Brigade, and the 1071 Raiders Brigade The 2nd Coastal Division has less than 500 fighters as of the end of 2015, although the group claims to have 2,000. According to the Syrian Turkmen National Movement Party, as of early 2016, three out of more than 40 villages in

741-686: 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

798-609: 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

855-780: 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),

912-454: 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

969-605: 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

1026-672: The Syrian Opposition with Turkmen delegates. The first meeting of Syrian Turkmen Assembly was held in Istanbul on 15 December 2012, and the participants asserted that there is an inequity toward the Syrian Turkmens by the opposition forces as they do not give more seats in the Syrian National Coalition. They decided to meet and select the representatives of the assembly in the next meeting, and at

1083-653: 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

1140-778: The Syrian Turkmen Assembly , primarily fighting against the Syrian Armed Forces , Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Syrian Democratic Forces . They are aligned with the Syrian opposition and are heavily supported by Turkey , which provides funding and military training along with artillery and aerial support. The groups represent a wide spectrum of ideologies from Islamism to secular Turkish nationalism . In November 2015, Syrian Turkmen Brigades and al-Nusra Front fighters were engaged in heavy fighting against

1197-600: The Turkmen Mountain of Latakia were left under Turkmen rebel control, as the result of the rebel defeat in the 2015–16 Latakia offensive . Many Turkmen rebels in the area are Turkish citizens affiliated with the Grey Wolves. The 2nd Coastal Division took part in the 2016 Latakia offensive in an attempt to regain the territory lost to government forces in 2015. Over the course of the offensive, rebels retook Kinsabba , though division commander Riyad Qarrah Bijeq

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1254-554: 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

1311-585: 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

1368-572: 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

1425-672: 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

1482-410: 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

1539-616: 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

1596-638: The Syrian border. The aircraft crashed on Syrian land. The two pilots ejected and were shot at in the air while using their parachutes by the Syrian Turkmen Brigades. The Sultan Murad Division was formed in early 2013 and mainly operates in the Aleppo Governorate . Its groups includes: Mehmed the Conqueror Brigade, Sultan Murad Brigade, Martyr Zaki Turkmani Brigade, Ashbal Akida Brigade, Hamza and Abbas Brigade, Ahli Sunnah and Community Brigade, Yarmouk Regiment, 1st Regiment and

1653-548: The Syrian government forces supported by the Shiite militias and the Russian Air Force . Turkmen forces have been the target of heavy Russian bombing in 2015, with reported civilian casualties which have been interpreted as a Russian effort aiming to change the ethnic dynamics of the region. On 24 November 2015 a Russian Su-24 fighter was shot down by Turkish forces for allegedly violating Turkish airspace, near

1710-699: The Turkmen Martyrs Brigade. Another predominantly Turkmen rebel militia in Aleppo Governorate is the Muntasir Billah Brigade . Formed in July 2015, the 2nd Coastal Division is the main Turkmen rebel group operating in the Latakia Governorate and is notable for killing one Russian Air Force pilot, who ejected from a Su-24 which was shot down by Turkey. The commander of the group, Alparslan Çelik ,

1767-738: 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

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1824-641: 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

1881-736: 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

1938-799: 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,

1995-517: The end of the first meeting, the common decision of Syrian Turkmen Assembly was declared: "Regardless of any ethnic or religious identity, a future in which everybody can be able to live commonly under the identity of Syrian is targeted in the future of Syria." The second meeting of Syrian Turkmen Assembly took place in Ankara on 30 March 2013. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu , and George Sabra also participated in

2052-573: 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

2109-413: 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

2166-416: 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

2223-541: 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

2280-439: 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

2337-422: The joining point of Syrian Turkmen National Bloc and Syrian Democratic Turkmen Movement , which are two different political movements of Syrian Turkmens. The assembly joined the two movements and with a joint agreement each movement have been given a region to focus. On 31 December 2019, Syrian Turkmen Assembly announced the relocation of its headquarters into Al-Rai, Syria on Facebook , with several images of

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2394-490: 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

2451-582: 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

2508-602: The meeting. Davutoğlu called the Turkmens to take an active role in the Syrian National Coalition and contribute within the new administration of Syria. In response, 350 Turkmen delegates from different parts of Syria joined the Coalition and elected 39 representatives for the Syrian Turkmen Assembly among the members of different groups and parties. It was also agreed that the assembly will be reelected once

2565-488: 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,

2622-586: 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

2679-524: 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

2736-491: 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

2793-542: 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

2850-422: 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

2907-457: 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

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2964-576: 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

3021-475: 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

3078-470: The unfinished building. Syrian Turkmen Brigades Syrian Turkmen Brigades ( Turkish : Suriye Türkmen Tugayları ; Arabic : كتائب تركمان سوريا ), also called the United Turkmen Army ( Turkish : Birleşik Türkmen Ordusu ; Arabic : الجيش التركماني الموحد ), are an informal armed opposition structure composed of Syrian Turkmen and Turks that form the military wing of

3135-475: 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

3192-521: 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

3249-739: Was mortally wounded during the assault. The Seljuq Brigade (former Sultan Selim Brigade member, now Army of Revolutionaries member) and the Manbij Turkmen Battalion ( Army of Revolutionaries 's Northern Sun Battalion ) are Syrian Turkmen groups operating Rojava Syria respectively, unlike other Syrian Turkmen rebel groups, they are allied with the Syrian Democratic Forces and are not supported by Turkey. 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

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