| Dawn of Freedom Brigades[1] | |
|---|---|
| تجمع ألوية فجر الحرية Tajamu Alwiya Fajr al-Hurriya[2] | |
 | |
| Leaders | |
| Dates of operation | 2014–2015 |
| Groups |
|
| Headquarters | Mare' andKobanî |
| Active regions | |
| Part of | |
| Allies | |
| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | |
| Website | fajeralhuria |
Preceded by *Descendants of Messengers Brigade[12] (formerlyGhuraba al-Sham Front)[13]
Succeeded by Army of Revolutionaries | |
TheDawn of Freedom Brigades (Arabic:تجمع ألوية فجر الحرية,romanized: Tajamu Alwiya Fajr al-Hurriya) was aFree Syrian Army-affiliatedSyrian rebel alliance which participated in theSyrian Civil War. It coordinated with the joint operations roomEuphrates Volcano and eventually became part of theArmy of Revolutionaries (Jaysh al-Thuwar) in 2015.[14]
The founder of the Dawn of Freedom Brigades was Nizar al-Khatib, also known by hisnom de guerre "Abu Laith". Al-Khatib was a commander in theGhuraba al-Sham Front, which was defeated byIslamist rebel forces led by theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant between mid and late 2013. During this time, Nizar al-Khatib formed the Descendents of Messengers Brigade as an offshoot of Ghuraba al-Sham.[12] In January 2014 and February, amidwidespread conflict between ISIL and other rebel groups, including innorthern Aleppo, the Descendents of Messengers Brigade forged an alliance with theKurdish Front.[15] In March 2014, the brigade changed its name to the Dawn of Freedom Brigades.[13]
On 8 November 2014, a field commander of the Dawn of Freedom Brigades was killed by theal-Nusra Front.[10] On 18 November, Nizar al-Khatib ("Abu Laith") was replaced by Hasan al-Banawi ("Abu Juma") as the leader of the coalition due to "health issues" of al-Khatib.[3]
On 5 December 2014, the Supporters of Dawn of Freedom Brigade based inIdlib defected from the Dawn of Freedom Brigades.[16] On 24 December, the Grievous Response Force, which included the al-Nusra Front and the Islamic Mujahideen Army, raided the Dawn of Freedom Brigades' headquarters inMare'. Al-Nusra captured Wael al-Khatib ("Abu Fuad"), general commander of the group, and several other commanders during the raid.[5]
On 3 May 2015, some of the former members of theHazzm Movement and theSyria Revolutionaries Front along withJabhat al-Akrad, the Dawn of Freedom Brigades' main component group theNorthern Sun Battalion (making the Dawn of Freedom Brigades defunct in the process) and smaller FSA groups formed theArmy of Revolutionaries.[17][18]
Although most of the Dawn of Freedom Brigades joined the Army of Revolutionaries, its founder, Nizar al-Khatib, did not, and criticized the Army.[13]
