5 militant groups controlling Syria’s Idlib

Muazz Mohamed

Syria has turned into a fertile ground for terrorist movement, after years of violence and fighting in it. The northern city of Idlib is now at the center of conflicts between these movements.

Here is brief account about some of the militant groups present in the city:

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly al-Nusra)

This militant group was formed in late 2011. It is made up of around 25,000 militants, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Tahrir al-Sham controls most of the commercial corridor to and from the city. It was formed after a number of militant groups merged into each other.

It is the largest militant group in Idlib. Tahrir al-Sham is commanded by Abu Mohamed al-Julani, previously affiliated to al-Qaeda. Tahrir al-Sham broke ranks with al-Qaeda in 2016.

Jaysh al-Izza

This militant group was formed in early 2012. It is one of the strongest in Idlib. It set up training camps for its fighters in the city. It also fought the Syrian army under the command of Jamil al-Saleh.

Jaysh al-Izza was the first militant group to be attacked by Russian fighter jets. The group has its stronghold in the northern Syrian town of Ltamenah.

Guardians of Religion

This is a militant group affiliated to al-Qaeda. It is commanded by Abu Hammam al-Shami, a former member of Tahrir al-Sham.

It is made up of a large number of militant groups,. It also made several mergers in the past few years.

Free Syrian Army

It is a militant group backed by Turkey. It was founded in 2017 and is mainly based in Idlib and the northern part of Hama. It is made up of a large number of militant groups.

It participated with Turkey in launching an offensive on the Kurds in northern Syria with the aim of controlling the border strait between Turkey and Syria.

Syrian Liberation Front

This militant group was formed in 2018. It is a merger of a number of militant groups. It competes with Tahrir al-Sham over control in a number of areas in Idlib.