Hayat Thaeroon for Liberation
| Hayat Thaeroon for Liberation[1] | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Leaders | Fahim Issa[2] |
| Dates of operation | 23 January 2022-present[3] |
| Group(s) |
|
| Part of | |
| Battles and wars | Syrian civil war |
The Hayat Thaeroon for Liberation, also known as the Second Legion, is a Turkish-backed merger of groups in Syria during the Syrian civil war.
The group was deployed to Kafr Jana in October 2022 to keep the peace after clashes broke out between rival factions and an attempted ceasefire failed.
History
[edit]One of the mergers's precursors, named the Thaeroon Movement, was formed in October 2021[12] and included members of the Azm Operations Room. Specific groups included the northern sector of the Sham Legion, the Sultan Murad Division, the First Division, the Al-Muntasir Billah Division, and the Sham Revolutionaries[13] in addition to Liwa al-Shamal, Ninth Division and Liwa 112.[6] The other faction in the merger is the Syrian Front for Liberation.[11]
The Sultan Suleiman Shah Division had left the Azm Operations Room in August 2021, but it returned to the Hayat Thaeroon for Liberation in November 2021.[2] The Sultan Suleiman Shah Division and the Hamza Division left in July 2022.[14]
The Ahrar al-Sham Eastern Sector joined Hayat Thaeroon on 24 May 2022.[3]
Liwa al-Safwa left Hayat Thaeroon in August 2022 and joined the Third Legion.[3]
Clashes took place in northern Aleppo Governorate in October 2022, which were sparked by the killing of an opposition activist and his pregnant wife in al-Bab by Hamza Division fighters.[15] The factions involved were the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade, Hamza Division, Ahrar al-Sham and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham on one side, and the Third Legion (Levant Front and Jaysh al-Islam), and the Liberation and Construction Movement on the other.[10] The Hayat Thaeroon for Liberation intervened as a peacekeeping force on the orders of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization.[1] Turkish forces arrived on 18 October.[16]
The factions of the group largely referred to themselves as the Second Legion by 2023.[17]
Leadership
[edit]Aladdin Ayoub, who is also known as Al-Farouq Abu Bakr,[18] serves as a member of the "leadership council" of the group.[19]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "HTS withdraws from Syria's Afrin but keeps security forces". North Press Agency. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ a b Walid Al Nofal (4 April 2022). "The case of Abu Amsha: How commanders of Turkish-backed factions in northwestern Syria go unpunished". Syria Direct. Translated by Mateo Nelson. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Hassan Ibrahim (28 September 2022). "Two movements in National Army: Consensus only in statements, eyes on Tahrir al-Sham". Enab Baladi. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "New Split in Turkish-backed SNA north of Syria's Aleppo". North Press Agency. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ a b "A Samarkand Brigade and Liwa al-Vakkas leave Division 13 and join Hayyat Thairoun lil-Tahrir". Reddit. October 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ a b c "Turkish-backed Syrian opposition witnesses wave of defections". North Press Agency. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ "صدام يلوح في الأفق.. ماذا يجري بين فصائل الجيش الوطني شمالي حلب؟" [A clash looms: What's happening between the National Army factions north of Aleppo?]. Syria.tv (in Arabic). September 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Several SNA formations Merge under Renaissance and Liberation Movement". Enab Baladi. The Syrian Observer. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Walid Al Nofal (22 October 2022). "Is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham withdrawing from the Aleppo countryside, or staying in the shadows?". Syria Direct. Translated by Mateo Nelson. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ a b Orwa Ajjoub (26 October 2022). "HTS, Turkey, and the future of Syria's north". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Two Turkish-backed factions unite in Syria's Afrin". North Press Agency. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ^ Walid Al Nofal (19 April 2022). "Mergers and tensions within the Syrian National Army: A 'struggle for existence'". Syria Direct. Translated by Mateo Nelson. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ "فصائل في الشمال السوري تندمج تحت اسم "حركة ثائرون"". Arabi21 (in Arabic). 2 October 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "2 Turkish-backed factions split in Syria's Aleppo countryside". North Press Agency. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ Walid Al Nofal (12 October 2022). "'Accountability, or fall': Syrian National Army's Hamza Division under fire after assassination of opposition activist in northern Aleppo". Syria Direct. Translated by Mateo Nelson. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ Suleiman Al Khalidi (18 October 2022). "Turkish troops deploy in Syrian town to halt inter-faction fighting". Reuters. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ Barry Marston (27 January 2025). "Explainer: Rivalries and alliances in the Turkey-backed Syria National Army". BBC. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
- ^ "Internal Conflict Within SNA's Al-Mutasim Division Results in Death and Arrests". Levant24. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
- ^ Walid Al Nofal (23 June 2022). "With Turkey's northern Syria operation, will the Islamic State rise again?". Syria Direct. Translated by Mateo Nelson. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
