Syrian Jihadism by Aron Lund

political value, and that Jabhat el-Nosra was the ”most likely” perpetrator. 85
The Levant
Division Center then ceased all activity, as quickly as it had appeared.
Ahrar el-Sham Brigades
The Ahrar el-Sham Brigades (Kataeb Ahrar el-Sham: ”Brigades of the Free of the Levant”)
are a network of jihadi groups spread over several Syrian provinces, with a stronghold in the
country’s north-west. It is likely to be Syria’s largest jihadi organization in numerical terms,
and ranks among the most important rebel factions in Syria. It was established in late 2011,
although some member brigades apparently began organizing themselves already in early
2011, before the Syrian revolution erupted. 86 Little is known about its leadership, but its
“military responsible” appears unmasked in interviews under the name Abul-Hassan. 87
The group takes care to describe itself as "independent" and states that it is "not an extension
of any organization, party, or group". It is overtly Islamist, espouses jihadi rhetoric, and
declares that it strives to establish a "righteous and just Islamic rule”. 88 However, Ahrar el-
Sham propaganda also utilizes some nationalist imagery, and does not fully resemble the
formulaic salafi-jihadi discourse. The Ahrar el-Sham Brigades do not seem to possess the
same strong links as Jabhat el-Nosra to the international salafi-jihadi community, even though
they accept non-Syrian volunteers. (Most foreigners fighting in the Idleb and Aleppo
Governorates are said to be Ahrar el-Sham members. 89
)
Ahrar el-Sham has posted videos of its attacks to the Internet since early 2012 at least, but it
took several months before the international media began to pay attention. By early summer
2012, scattered references to the Ahrar el-Sham Brigades had begun to crop up in reporting
from the Idleb and Aleppo governorates. From summer 2012, Ahrar el-Sham has stepped up
85 Aaron Y. Zelin, "Luwā’ ash-Shām Center for Media, Research, and Documentation presents: “A Penalty of the Unjust: The
Destruction of the Palestinian Branch and Patrols: Examining the Operation and Its Implications”, Jihadology, June 18, 2012,
jihadology.net/2012/06/18/luwa-ash-sham-center-for-media-research-and-documentation-presents-a-penalty-of-the-unjust-thedestruction-of-the-palestinian-branch-and-patrols-examining-the-operation-and-its-implications.
86 Rania Abouzeid, "TIME Exclusive: Meet the Islamist Militants Fighting Alongside Syria’s Rebels", Time Magazine, July 26,
2012, world.time.com/2012/07/26/time-exclusive-meet-the-islamist-militants-fighting-alongside-syrias-rebels/
87 "kataeb ahrar el-sham mudakhelat el-masoul el-askari alal-jazira" ("Ahrar el-Sham Brigades, interview with the military
responsible on Aljazeera"), YouTub video uploaded by Ahrar Alsham, August 29, 2012,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKbdwLhvIK4.
88 The official Ahrar el-Sham Brigades page on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/K.AhrarAlsham/info
89 Erika Solomon, "Insight: Syria rebels see future fight with foreign radicals", Reuters, August 8, 2012,
www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/08/us-syria-crisis-insight-idUSBRE8770BK20120808.
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