Ahrar al-Sharqiya
Tajammu Ahrar al-Sharqiya (Gathering of Free Men of the East), commonly referred to as Ahrar al-Sharqiya, is an active armed Syrian rebel group founded in 2016 by individuals exiled and displaced mostly from the Deir ez-Zor Governorate and other eastern provinces, such as the Hasakah Governorate, by ISIL, YPG and the Syrian government due to fighting that took place there between 2011 and 2014. Many fighters in Ahrar al-Sharqiya are former al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham members.
| Ahrar al-Sharqiya | |
|---|---|
| تجمع احرار الشرقية | |
| Leaders | Abou Hatim Shaqra Abu Jaafar Jazra Abu Jaafer Shaqra |
| Dates of operation | 2016–present |
| Split from | Ahrar al-Sham |
| Group(s) |
|
| Active regions | Aleppo Governorate, Syria Turkey |
| Ideology | Islamism Anti-Kurdish sentiment |
| Size | over 2,000 |
| Part of | Syrian National Army
|
| Allies | Turkey Free Syrian Army National Front for Liberation Jaysh al-Islam (sometimes) |
| Opponents | Syrian Arab Armed Forces Russia Syrian Democratic Forces Hezbollah Syrian Resistance Sinjar Alliance International Freedom Battalion Hamza Division (sometimes) Islamic State Farouq Brigades (sometimes) Levant Front (sometimes) Jaysh al-Islam (sometimes) |
| Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War
|
| Flag | |
| Website | twitter |
In October 2019, the relatively obscure group garnered international attention after its fighters murdered Kurdish politician Hevrin Khalaf, which the UN described as a war crime.
Ahrar al-Sharqiya is reported to have supported Turkish-led military offensives in eastern Syria against the Syrian Democratic Forces and Kurdish self-rule regions in northeastern Syria, According to a unidentified activist in Afrin, Ahrar al-Sharqiya was among the Turkish-backed insurgent groups which volunteered to send fighters to Libya as part of a Turkish-led operation to aid the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord in December 2019.