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| Army of Conquest | |
|---|---|
| جيش الفتح | |
 | |
| Dates of operation | 24 March 2015[1] – 27 January 2017[citation needed] |
| Groups |
|
| Headquarters | Idlib,Syria |
| Active regions | Syria |
| Ideology | SunniIslamism[10] |
| Size | 50,000+[11][better source needed] |
| Allies |
|
| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | |
TheArmy of Conquest (Arabic:جيش الفتح) orJaish al-Fatah, abbreviatedJaF, was a jointcommand center of SunniIslamistSyrian rebel factions participating in theSyrian Civil War.
The alliance was formed in March 2015 under the supervision and coordination of Saudi clericAbdullah al-Muhaysini. It consisted of Islamist rebel factions mainly active in theIdlib Governorate, with some factions active in theHama andLatakia Governorates.[10] In the course of the following months, it seized most of Idlib Governorate.[17][18]
TheInstitute for the Study of War described the Army of Conquest as an "anti-regime" and "anti-Hezbollah" powerbroker operating in the Idlib, Hama,Daraa andQuneitra Governorates.[19] The Army of Conquest was described by theTony Blair Institute for Global Change as an "al-Qaeda led coalition" which was working towards the ultimate goal of creating an "Islamic state."[20]
At its founding, the Army of Conquest contained six members, two of whom (al-Nusra andJund al-Aqsa) were directly connected toal-Qaeda.[18][21][22] WithAhrar al-Sham being the largest group,[23] al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham together were reported to represent 90 percent of the troops.[22] Another prominent Islamist faction in the operations room wasSham Legion (Faylaq Al-Sham). The remaining three founding members wereJaish al-Sunna;Liwa al-Haqq, andAjnad al-Sham. The Army of Conquest collaborated with more moderateFree Syrian Army factions such asKnights of Justice Brigade.[24]
The coalition's initial success was attributed to its strong coherence, with the name of individual factions being forbidden when the group conducts joint operations.[25]
Since theinter-rebel conflicts across Idlib, which led to Ahrar al-Sham clashing withJabhat Fateh al-Sham, and the defections and mergers which started on 21 January 2017, the Army of Conquest has become defunct.
The Army of Conquest declared its formation on 24 March 2015.[1] On the same day, a pro-opposition source claimed that about fifty Syrian government soldiers defected to the new group.[1] As columnistDavid Ignatius reported,Qatar,Turkey, and Saudi Arabia were the primary sponsors of the new coalition that was led by al-Nusra.[26][27] Since the very beginning, the three states allegedly provided conspicuous material support to the group, mostly consisting of weapons and military equipment.[26][27] In 2016, shortly after al-Nusra changed its name in Jabhat Fatah al-Sham,Financial Times reporter Erica Solomon quoted rebels and activists claiming that Qatar and Saudi Arabia were consistently ferrying in cash and supplies to support a military offensive in Aleppo directed by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham.[27][28]
The Army of Conquestcaptured Idlib City on 28 March 2015.[29] In the following months, they spearheadedan offensive that drove out government forces from almost all of Idlib Governorate.[17] Following this success, additional branches of the Army of Conquest were established in other parts of Syria.[30]
The Army of Conquest coalition was partially modelled upon the success of theSouthern Front of the Free Syrian Army,[31] and in turn newer coalitions, like theBattle of Victory, were modelled on the Army of Conquest.[32]
Saudi clericAbdullah al-Muhaysini played a key role in the early history of the Army of Conquest. In fact, Muhayisini coordinated and supervised the establishment of the group, for which he also served as a religious judge and leader. He was targeted by U.S. Treasury Sanctions on 10 November 2016, for his role as mediator and recruiter on behalf of the al-Nusra Front.[33][34] Notably, Muhaysini also collected material and financial support for al-Nusra from the Gulf, especially, Qatar, and was known for his public endorsement of Qatar-based "Madid Ahl al-Sham", a most effective fundraising campaign which al-Nusra itself acknowledged as "one of the preferred conduits for donations".[34][35][36][37]
In early May 2015, the Army of Conquest formed a new branch inWestern Qalamoun, calledArmy of Conquest – al-Qalamoun.[30] On 1 October 2015, after defeats by pro-Assad forces,Army of Conquest in Qalamoun was replaced by an independent faction calledSaraya Ahl al-Sham, which aims to unite all rebel factions in Western Qalamoun. However, the al-Nusra Front was not included in Saraya Ahl al-Sham, although the two groups continued to cooperate.[38]
The following month, the al-Nusra Front issued a statement calling on the opposition in the EasternGhouta area of Damascus to form a similar coalition,[39] but this call was rejected by theUnified Military Command of Eastern Ghouta,[40] a grouping which included the most prominent factions in the area.
In October 2015 Army of Conquest members al-Nusra Front and Ahrar ash-Sham (also a member of theUnified Military Command of Eastern Ghouta), along with other groups formed Jund al-Malahm, an operations room in the Eastern Ghouta area of Damascus, in direct competition with the Unified Military Command of Eastern Ghouta operations room.
On 20 June, theArmy of Conquest in the southern region was established[41][42] and immediately took part in the campaign inQuneitra.[43][better source needed] The coalition includesAhrar al-Sham,al-Nusra Front, the Fatah al-Sham Coalition, Ihyaa al-Jihad Brigade, Mujahideen ofNawa Gathering, Lions of Unity Brigade, Ansar al-Haq Brigade, and the Islamic Brigade of al- Omarein.
In July 2016, the al-Nusra Front renamed itself asJabhat Fatah al-Sham, restructured the group further, and began to create propaganda to supporttheir offensives across theAleppo Governorate.
On 23 October 2015, Jund al-Aqsa announced a split from Jaysh al-Fatah,[44] reportedly due to disagreements with Ahrar al-Sham over the application ofIslamic law in areas under their control. Following this development, there were unconfirmed reports thatal-Nusra Front, in an act of solidarity with Jund al-Aqsa, left the coalition,[45] or that Jund al-Aqsa would be rejoining Jaysh al-Fateh.[46] In January 2016, the Sham Legion announced it was leaving the group, ostensibly to redeploy its forces to Aleppo, but also due to tensions with Jund al-Aqsa.[3][47]
In May 2016, the Army of Conquest announced it was restructuring, ending ties with Jund al-Aqsa while readmitting the Sham Legion. It was also joined by theTurkistan Islamic Party, a jihadist group composed ofUyghurs fromXinjiang.[3][better source needed]
On 24 September 2016,Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement joined the group.[48][better source needed] Several days later, theSuqour al-Sham Brigade also joined the group.[5]
On 9 October,Jund al-Aqsa rejoined Al-Nusra Front, thus rejoining the Army of Conquest, though on 23 January 2017 they were kicked out of Al-Nusra and by extension the Army of Conquest.
On 23 January 2017, the al-Nusra Front attackedJabhat Ahl al-Sham bases inAtarib and other towns in western Aleppo. All of their bases were captured and by 24 January, the group was defeated and joinedAhrar al-Sham.[49]
On 11 June 2015, the al-Nusra Frontkilled at least 20 Druze villagers in Qalb Lawzeh in Idlib province.[50]
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{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)Jabhat Al-Nusra and Ahrar Al-Sham represent 90 per cent of the troops. TheSaudis andQataris are to provide funding for 40 per cent of the coalition's needs
As the biggest group in Army of Fatah, Ahrar al-Sham appears to hold the key to preventing infighting.
The coalition, whose formation was announced in March, comprises a range of mostly jihadist and Islamist groups, the most prominent being Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front and the powerful Islamist Ahrar al-Sham [...] Other important members include Faylaq al-Sham, a coalition of Muslim Brotherhood-linked battalions, and Jund al-Aqsa, a small jihadist group.
The model is now being copied in areas such as the Qalamoun – the mountain ranges between Lebanon's Bekaa Valley and Syria
With the Southern Front success as a model, rebel backers then sought to deploy similar methods in the north.
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