Northern Sun Battalion
| Northern Sun Battalion[1] | |
|---|---|
| Participant in Syrian Civil War | |
 | |
| Active | April 2014 — present |
| Groups |
|
| Leaders | |
| Headquarters | Manbij, Aleppo Governorate |
| Area of operations | |
| Strength | |
| Part of |
 Army of RevolutionariesEuphrates Volcano[8] Manbij Military Council[10]  Syrian Democratic Forces |
| Allies | |
| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | |
The Northern Sun Battalion (Arabic: كتائب شمس الشمال, translit. Kata'eb Shams ash-Shamal) is an armed rebel group affiliated with the Free Syrian Army that has been active during the Syrian Civil War.[1]
History
The formation of the Northern Sun Battalion was announced by a defected Syrian Armed Forces brigadier general Mohammed Hammou in the Manbij countryside on 16 April 2014. Less than a week later, several other small groups joined the battalion, including Abu Layla from Jabhat al-Akrad.[2]
The Northern Sun Battalion, formerly main constituent of the Dawn of Freedom Brigades, on 3 May 2015 formed the Army of Revolutionaries together with Jabhat al-Akrad, former Hazzm Movement and Syria Revolutionaries Front affiliates, and smaller FSA groups.
In October 2015 it became part of the Syrian Democratic Forces. Subsequently, the Dawn of Freedom Brigades went defunct.[12]
In November, the battalion participated in the Syrian Democratic Force's al-Hawl offensive, and according to commander-in-chief Adnan al-Ahmad is committed to pushing ISIL out of al-Shaddadah and ar-Raqqa, as well as from Jarablus, the Tishrin Dam and Manbij.[5]
When the Manbij Military Council was set up on 3 April 2016, the battalion's second-in-command, Adnan Abu-Amjad, was made the council's general commander.[13] In course of the following Manbij offensive, one of the Northern Sun Battalion's most prominent commanders was killed: Abu Layla died on the 5th of June 2016, after being shot in the head by an Islamic State sniper on Friday June third, in the countryside south of Manbij, Syria. He had previously been evacuated by a US military helicopter to a hospital in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, but doctors were unable to remove a bullet to the head and prevent internal bleeding to the brain.[14][15]
Additional groups that joined
- On 21 April 2014, 5 rebel groups from the Euphrates basin of Manbij, Jarabulus, and Sarrin joined the Northern Sun Battalion.[2]
Since the establishment of the SDF, additional groups of various sizes have joined the Northern Sun Battalion:
- The Euphrates Martyrs Battalion joined the Northern Sun Battalion in Kobane on 13 January 2016.[16]
- The Free Jarabulus Battalion from Jarabulus joined the group in Kobane on 20 January 2016.[17]
- The Dam Martyrs Brigade joined the group on 4 February 2016.[18][19]
- On 10 March 2016, the Jund al-Haramayn Brigade joined the group. It was previously part of the Army of Mujahideen and Jaysh al-Salam.[20]
See also
References
- 1 2 "Syrian Kurd leader urges Turkey to join fight against jihadists". Al Monitor. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Statement join several battalions in the countryside of Aleppo east to Sun Brigades North". Xeber 24. 22 April 2014.
- 1 2 Hasan Mustafa. "An Analysis of Jaish al-Thuwar (The Army of Revolutionaries) – A Component of the Syrian Democratic Forces". Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ↑ "SDF plays central role in Syrian civil war" (PDF). Jane's Intelligence Review. January 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 "War on ISIS unites Syrian Kurds, Arabs and Christians". ARA News. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- 1 2 "Kurds doggedly defend Ain al-Arab". Associated Press. 5 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ↑ "Hamza Hemze حمزة on Twitter".
- 1 2 3 "YPG and FSA form a joint military chamber to combat ISIS in Syria". ARA News. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
- ↑ "US coalition spokesman: Arabs are leading Manbij campaign, not Kurds". ARA News. 4 June 2016.
- ↑ ARA News (3 April 2016). "Syrian rebels form military council to combat ISIS in Manbij مجلس منبج العسكري يطلق عملياته ضد داعش" – via YouTube.
- ↑ "The Dawn of Freedom Brigades: Analysis and Interview". Syria Comment. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
- ↑ Hasan Mustafa (16 November 2015). "An Analysis of Jaish al-Thuwar (The Army of Revolutionaries) – A Component of the Syrian Democratic Forces". Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ↑ "Kurds set up new civilian council for recapturing Syria's Manbij from ISIS". ARA News. 6 April 2016.
- ↑ "Isis sniper's bullet kills Free Syrian Army commander". 5 June 2016.
- ↑ "Top Syrian Kurdish Commander Killed in Raqqa Campaign". ABC News.
- ↑ "Euphrates Martyrs Brigade claimed its accession to SASO". Hawar News. 13 January 2016.
- ↑ "Battalion <free Jarablos> joins <democratic Syria> forces". ARA News. 20 January 2016.
- ↑ "Martyrs of Dam Brigade join Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)".
- ↑ "QSD Press Office on Twitter".
- ↑ QSD00963 (10 March 2016). "A new brigade"Liwa Jund Al Haramayn" announced it is joining to our forces" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
