Jaysh al-Islam
Jaysh al-Islam (Arabic: جيش الإسلام, romanized: Jayš al-ʾIslām, meaning Army of Islam), formerly known as Liwa al-Islam (Arabic: لواء الإسلام, Brigade of Islam), is a coalition of Islamist rebel units involved in the Syrian Civil War.
Jaysh al-Islam | |
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جيش الإسلام | |
Logo of Jaysh al-Islam | |
Founding leader | Zahran Alloush † |
Military leader | Essam al-Buwaydhani (2015–2019) Abu Jamal (military chief) |
Political leader | Mohammed Alloush |
Spokesman | Islam Alloush (former) |
Dates of operation | 2011–2013 (as Liwa al-Islam) 2013–present (as Jaysh al-Islam) |
Group(s) | Eastern Ghouta (until 14 April 2018)
Eastern Qalamoun Mountains (until 25 April 2018)
Southern Damascus
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Headquarters | |
Active regions |
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Ideology | Sunni Islamism Syrian nationalism (since 2016) |
Size | 20,000–25,000 (May 2015) 18,000 (December 2016) 16,000 fighters in Ghouta (February 2018) |
Part of | Islamic Front (2013–2016) Mujahideen Shura Council (2014–2015) Syrian Revolutionary Command Council (2014–2015) Unified Military Command of Eastern Ghouta (2014–2015) |
Allies |
(until 2018)
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Opponents |
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Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War
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Designated as a terrorist group by | Syria Iran Egypt |
Website | www |
The group was part of the Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military Council until December 2013, but in November 2013 started the Syrian Islamic Front and the next month broke with the SMC and the Free Syrian Army.
Its primary base of operations was the Damascus area, particularly the city of Douma and the rest of the region of Eastern Ghouta, where Jaysh al-Islam was the largest rebel faction, as was Liwa al-Islam before. Following the fall of Ghouta to Assad’s forces, Jaysh al-Islam retreated to areas controlled by the Turkish Backed Free Syrian Army, where it reportedly joined the FSA, after years of separation from FSA command.
The group along with Ahrar al-Sham was among the main rebel groups supported by Saudi Arabia. The group has promoted an Islamic state under Sharia law. In 2015, its then leader claimed in an interview to be seeking for the Syrian government to be replaced by a “technocratic body that represents the diversity of the Syrian people.”.