TheArmy of Revolutionaries (Arabic:جيش الثوار,romanized: Jayš al-Thuwwār), also known asJaysh al-Thuwar, is a multi-ethnic armed Syrian rebel coalition that is allied with the primarily KurdishPeople's Protection Units (YPG) and participating in theSyrian Civil War as part of theSyrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Established as aFree Syrian Army coalition in May 2015, with a presence in sixgovernorates, its membership includesArabs,Kurds, andTurkmen. With its stated aims of fighting both theSyrian government andIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), it was expected to become one of the more relevant rebel alliances in northernSyria, consolidating the democratic rebel spectrum. It was considered one of the "potential powerbrokers" in theAleppo,Hama,Idlib, andLatakia governorates.[15]
While Jaysh al-Thuwar considers itself to be a part of therebel mainstream and turned down the U.S.Train-and-Equip-Program because it wanted to be able to fight the Syrian government as well as ISIL, it has always been allied with the YPG. It therefore did not receive Turkish support, rejected theFriends of Syria Group,[13] and became embroiled in open conflict withIslamist rebel groups.
Subsequently, Jaysh al-Thuwar retreated from rebel-held areas and further deepened its bonds with the YPG. In October 2015, it became one of the constituents of the Syrian Democratic Forces, increasingly integrating with the SDF's common frontlines against ISIL and other Islamist forces.
Although it cooperates with the YPG, Jaysh al-Thuwar still considers itself to be part of the Syrian Opposition.[16]
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On 3 May 2015, some of the former members of the northern branches of theHazzm Movement and theSyria Revolutionaries Front (SRF) along withJabhat al-Akrad, theDawn of Freedom Brigades main component group theNorthern Sun Battalion (making the Dawn of Freedom Brigades defunct in the process) and smaller FSA groups formed the Army of Revolutionaries.[17][18][non-primary source needed][19][non-primary source needed] The participation of ex-SRF fighters in the new group was denounced by former SRF leaderJamal Maarouf who was strongly opposed to the YPG.[17] Many of the northern members of theSyrian Revolutionaries Front andHazzm Movement also joined theLevant Front, the group also has exiles from theHoms Governorate that were expelled from the region byHezbollah in 2013.[20]
In an October 2015 publication, the Washington D.C.–basedInstitute for the Study of War considered Jaysh al-Thuwar as one of the "potential powerbrokers" inAleppo province, where it is part of theEuphrates Volcano joint operations room, as well as inHama,Idlib andLatakia provinces, though not inHoms province.[15]
The group has expressed disapproval of foreign presence in Syria, specifically condemning the involvement of Russia,Iran, andTurkey. In regards to the deployment of theTurkish military into Idlib, Ahmed Sultan said that Idlib had been sold to Russia and Iran as well as the Syrian government and called upon Idlib's population to fight Iranian, Russian and Turkish forces in Idlib.[21] Sultan has also blamed Turkey's presence in Idlib for Russian airstrikes, saying "Idlib's southern countryside has been destroyed by aircraft, the Syrian regime, and the modern weapons that Russia is testing in that region," and that if Idlib were attacked it would cause a large humanitarian disaster, and that the group would fight to end Turkey's presence in both Idlib and Afrin.[22] In response to the Syrian government'soffensive in Idlib in early 2019, the group released a joint statement with a fellow Free Syrian Army-aligned SDF group known as theNorthern Democratic Brigade stating both groups were ready to protect Idlib from an Iranian-ledShiite invasion, and stating that Iran's involvement in Syria is as bad as Turkey's.[23][non-primary source needed]
In areas the group controls or has a presences in it conducts social outreach programs such as organizingEid al-Adha celebrations and distribution of gifts to locals, as well as visiting hospitals.[24] The group also organized protests in response to the rebelloss inAleppo in December 2016, calling for the fall of theSyrian government.[25][non-primary source needed]
Jaysh al-Thuwar did not apply to join the AmericanTrain-and-Equip-Program because it declined to restrict itself to fighting ISIL. The Army subsequently released videos of them fighting both against the Syrian Army inAleppo and the northernHoms pocket, as well as against ISIL inMare',Kobanê and northernRaqqa.[citation needed]
It controlled territory to the west ofAzaz, bordering the Kurdish-heldAfrin Canton, and claimed further presences in the Rashidin neighborhood of Aleppo, as well as inTell Malah andal-Ghab Plain areas in northernHama, and sleeper cells inManbij area.[12][better source needed]
The Army of Revolutionaries did not qualify for any support byTurkey, but neither did it receive any U.S. support. With weaponry considered "sparse by even Syrian standards", the coalition began to disintegrate early on.[12][better source needed]
In July 2015,Division 30 fighters retreated to territory controlled by the Army of Revolutionaries west of Azaz after being attacked by theal-Nusra Front. This led to clashes between the Army of Revolutionaries and al-Nusra.[26]
On 29 August 2015, 30 fighters from the Army of Revolutionaries graduated from aboot camp west of Azaz, named after Alaa Ajabu, the former general commander of theKurdish Front who was killed in actionfighting against ISIL near Azaz in February 2014.[27]
On 13 February 2016, the Homs Liberation Movement declared hostilities on the Army of Revolutionaries. This led to the defection of two groups affiliated with the Army of Revolutionaries in Homs: the Homs Revolutionary Union and the 777th Regiment. With this incident, the Army of Revolutionaries no longer operate in the Homs Governorate.[28] However, a commander in the Homs Liberation Movement claimed that some rebels in Homs still have covert links to Jaysh al-Thuwar, but refused to name the groups, citing that "they deceived him" and he "does not know the nature of the said army's relationship with the enemies of the revolution".[29]
Jaysh al-Thuwar claims to have a presence in theIdlib Governorate.Orient News claimed that the group has cells inAriha that conducted assassinations and "kidnapping operations" in the Idlib countryside and 12 of them were reportedly captured by theArmy of Conquest in March 2016.[30]
When theBattle of Qamishli broke out between Rojavan security forces and the regime in 2021, Jaysh al-Thuwar deployed to Qashimi to reenforce the security forces.[31]
In spite of occasional denials, the rebel coalition has always been closely allied with the Syrian KurdishPeople's Protection Units (YPG). The coalition was therefore met with distrust by moreIslamist rebel factions, and became embroiled in open conflict with hard-line Islamists, such asal-Qaeda'sal-Nusra Front.[12]
Further deepening bonds with the YPG and other anti-ISIL forces, the Army of Revolutionaries co-established theSyrian Democratic Forces in October 2015. Originally, only the eastern Syria branch of the group was part of the SDF.[12][better source needed] On 17 November 2015, 15 rebel groups led by the Army of Revolutionaries established the SDF's branch in Aleppo and Idlib.[32] Subsequently, its constituents became involved in clashes with the al-Nusra Front,Ahrar al-Sham and Islamist groups of theFatah Halab and theMare' Operations Room.[33] During the battles, two fighters of Jaysh al-Thuwar werebeheaded by al-Nusra.[34] According to observers, it therefore withdrew most of its presence from other rebel-held areas, refocusing on the Syrian Democratic Forces' joint front lines.[12]
On 21 January 2017, the Army of Revolutionaries released 74prisoners of war from rival rebel forces.[35] On 11 March 2017, after negotiations between theSyrian National Democratic Alliance, the political council ofIdlib, and the Army of Revolutionaries, a second batch of 80 prisoners were released.[36]
On 30 July 2017, the group announced that it would allow additional women to join its ranks, though its member group theKurdish Front already recruit women into their units.[37][38]
In early August, former Army of Revolutionaries commander Wissi Hijazi ("Abu Uday Menagh"), who had previously helped to captureMenagh andMenagh Military Airbase during theNorthern Aleppo offensive (February 2016) and been involved in a scandal surrounding a Kurdish girl, defected to theTFSA'sSultan Murad Division. He cited his opposition to alleged cooperation between the government and the SDF as reason for this move. His defection was not accepted, however, by the Revolutionary Council of Menagh (another TFSA faction), which declared its intention to have him killed.[39][40][41] In response, the Army of Revolutionaries issued a statement claiming that Hijazi was already expelled from the group in May 2016.[42]
In an interview on 28 August 2017, Ahmed Sultan, leading commander of the Army of Revolutionaries, denied any coordination between his group and theSyrian Elite Forces, although both groups are participating in theBattle of Raqqa. During the interview, Sultan also stated that the Army of Revolutionaries was ready to fight inDeir ez-Zor against ISIL and inIdlib againstal-Qaeda.[43] In January 2018, the Army of Revolutionaries declared that it would fight with the YPG/YPJ againstOperation Olive Branch.[44]
This is a list of current andformer Jaysh al-Thuwar groups:[12][45][32]
Whilst the Army of Revolutionaries uses the sameSyrian independence flag used by many other opposition groups,[44] the group also uses its own more specific Army of Revolutionaries flag, as well as the flag of theSyrian Democratic Forces. Since 2017, it also used a new flag, based on the flag of the SDF.
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