When an explosion killed almost all of its
leaders last year, many thought it was the
end for Ahrar al-Sham, a powerful Syrian
insurgent group founded by insurgents
loyal to al-Qaeda.
But the group immediately re-emerged
stronger. It replaced its leader and chose new
military commanders. A few months later, it
joined a coalition of insurgent groups that
seized the city of Idlib with at least 2,000
fighters, making it the most influential group
in the Jaish al-Fatah (Army of Conquest),
which includes al-Qaeda's Syria wing, the
Nusra Front. The group now has even loftier
ambitions.
With strong backing from Syria's neighbor
Turkey, Ahrar al-Sham (the Free Men of
Syria) is playing a significant role in Syria's
four-year-old civil war, if not the biggest
among insurgent groups apart from the
Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant ( ISIL). Its
fighters control Bab al-Hawa, the only legal
crossing between Turkey and Syria's rebel-
held areas, and are powerful around Aleppo
and Idlib.
The emergence of strong rebel groups such as
Ahrar al-Sham that have political
representation as well as military strength
could help address a long-standing criticism of
the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad:
The disconnect between the constellation of
armed groups in Syria and the Turkey-based
political coalition that does not speak for any
of them.
A Western diplomat said that Ahrar al-Sham is
seen as a decentralized, pragmatic group that
is willing to work with other groups and it will
most likely have a say in any future peace
talks. While its late leadership showed no
interest in the idea of ruling, Ahrar al-Sham's
current command appears to want a part in
any long-term solution in Syria.
It is already negotiating with Assad's
government and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah
over the fate of a rebel-held town near the
border with Lebanon and two government-
held Shiite towns under rebel siege in the
northwestern province of Idlib. The talks,
which have collapsed at least twice, are
backed by Turkey and Iran, regional
heavyweights on opposite sides of the
conflict. They have given Ahrar al-Sham the
advantage of negotiation experience in any
future talks to find an end to the war.
They have also demonstrated Ahrar al-Sham's
standing among rebel groups, who have
respected the cease-fire agreements it
negotiated. That includes the al-Nusra Front.
"Ahrar al-Sham is now a nucleus of a state,"
said one of the group's commanders, giving
an interview to Reuters over the Internet on
condition he not be identified. "Ahrar has a
strong foundation; it consists of scientific and
academic cadres that are not present in all of
other Syria's groups together."
"The fact that the movement overcame the
assassination of all its first line leaders quickly
and had a strong comeback shows that it is an
institutional movement," the commander
added.
No one has claimed responsibility for the
blast that killed the group's leaders. Since
then, it has set up offices that deal with
politics and military, religious, social and
financial matters. Each bureau is independent
but reports to a higher command.
"We as a movement still believe that one of
the ways to achieve change is through arms.
We cooperate with all groups on all fronts,"
the commander said.
Despite its origins as an ally of al-Qaeda,
Ahrar al-Sham plays down any commitment to
global jihad and emphasizes its national
credentials as a Syrian movement that
respects the country's borders. It says its fight
is limited to the Syrian front.
Such a position would come as a relief to
Western countries worried about jihad
spreading to Europe and elsewhere. Aware of
the West's growing fear of the influence and
strength of hard-line jihadist groups inside
Syria, Ahrar al-Sham has published editorials
in two Western newspapers, distancing itself
from hard-liners and saying it would protect
religious minorities. It also opposes the ultra-
hardline group ISIL.
Qaeda links?
When it was formed, it had strong ties with
the leadership of al-Qaeda. Its slain top
commander Abu Khaled al-Soury fought
alongside al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden
and was close to bin Laden's successor Ayman
al-Zawahiri.
Since the deaths of its leadership, it had an
interim leader until last week, when it finally
selected Abu Yahya al-Hamawi as new
permanent leader. A civil engineer and
veteran militant in his 30s, the new leader
reached out to other rebel groups in his first
message, promising they would be included in
any deal his group strikes. "We will all be
partners in the decision and in the execution
of it," he said on his Twitter account.
Due to its strong relationship with Turkey and
its decision to take part in talks with the
Syrian government, it has sometimes come
under criticism from other rebel groups.
Under its new leadership it is trying to
differentiate itself from al-Qaeda, angering
the al-Nusra Front and other hard-liners. But
its al-Qaeda-linked background means Ahrar
al-Sham still has a special relationship with
the al-Nusra Front.
Rebels inside Syria say Ahrar al-Sham has
supplied many of al-Nusra's weapons. It was
not clear if it was still doing so.
A former al-Nusra fighter who has now left
the war said al-Nusra and Ahrar once had
strong relations. "All I know is that Nusra sees
Ahrar as their source for weapons, especially
in some battles," he said. "They are moving
away from military work and putting their
strength in administrating liberated areas."
"Their strength is evident in running the Bab
al-Hawa crossing. They control it after kicking
everyone else out and hence they control the
trade in and out of Syria, putting the transfer
of goods to all Syria under their control. They
have become self-funded after imposing
taxes on goods coming into Syria," he said.
It is not only other rebel groups that are
keeping a close eye on Ahrar al-Sham's rise --
its enemies are equally watchful. "We have
noticed they are trying to distance themselves
from Qaeda but they remain Salafis, this
cannot be denied," said a military commander
on the Syrian government side who is also
close to negotiations with the group. Salafis
are followers of the austere form of Sunni
Islam preached by al-Qaeda.
"Unlike most Syrian insurgents, they do have
a structure and their fighters are loyal to the
leadership and effectively implement its
orders," the commander added.
Source https://mobile.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_rebel-ahrar-al-sham-group-close-to-turkey-opposes-isil_399724.html

Jazakallahu Kayran brother!