Farouq Brigades: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 12:22, 27 March 2013
| Farouq Brigades Template:Lang-ar كتائب الفاروق | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Abdul Razzaq Tlass - Former Abu Sayeh Jenaidi[1] Taleb al-Dayekh[2] |
| Dates of operation | 2011–present |
| Headquarters | Homs |
| Active regions | Homs Governorate, Syria |
| Ideology | Islamism |
| Part of |  Free Syrian Army |
| Opponents |  Syrian Armed Forces |
| Battles and wars | Syrian civil war |
The Farouq Brigades (Template:Lang-ar) are one of the largest and well-known units of the Free Syrian Army which is involved in the Syrian Civil War.[4] The brigades take the name Farouq from Omar bin al-Khattab, a Sahaba (companion) of the Prophet Muhammad and the second Caliph.
Background
The Farouq Brigades emerged from the central city of Homs just months into the Syrian Uprising. Its beginnings are as a subunit of the Khalid bin Walid Brigade, a group of defectors from the Syrian Army that announced its formation in June 2011 and engaged in clashes with members of the Syrian security forces in Homs and Rastan. During the second half of 2011, Farouq was active in Homs, particularly the Baba Amr neighborhood. It was led by a defector, Lieutenant Abdul Razaq Tlass, who was a nephew of the former Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass.[5] The apparent success of Farouq in holding territory in Baba Amr lead to the Syrian regime escalating their use of force in an offensive in early 2012, causing heavy casualties amongst the rebels and forcing their retreat into the Homs countryside and the towns of Al-Qusayr and Rastan.[5]
In the following months, Farouq absorbed preexisting rebel units and formed new ones across Syria, from Daraa in the south near the Jordanian border to the Farouq al-Shemal (Northern Farouq) which controls some of the border posts in the north with Turkey.[4]
In September 2012, a large number of Islamist rebel brigades, including the Farouq Brigades and the Suquor al-Sham formed the Syrian Liberation Front, under the leadership of Suquor al-Sham commander Ahmed Abu Issa. Abu Issa claimed the new Front had more than 40,000 fighters and aimed to establish a state with an Islamic reference. [6]
Ideology and Funding
Jeffrey White, a former U.S. defense intelligence officer with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Joseph Holliday, a research analyst with the Institute for the Study of War consider the Farouq Brigade to be “moderately Islamist”—that is, neither secular nor Salafis. While many of their fighters wear Jihadist-style black headbands and beards, it is unclear how much of this is genuine belief and how much is to secure additional funding from Islamist donors.[3]
Farouq has their own public relations wing which film their battlefield operations and upload them to YouTube and Facebook with their groups logo. These clips are used for fundraising from Syrians, donors in Gulf states, western sources and Islamist groups.[7] Battle for Syria: on the ground with the Farouk brigade
Controversies
In April 2012, accusations emerged that the Farouq Brigade was collecting Jizyah, or taxes imposed on non-Muslims living under Muslim rule, in Christian areas of Homs province,[8] this was denied by the group. There were also reports that the group had expelled 90% of the Christian population of Homs City.[9][10] However, Jesuits in Homs disputed the cause of the exodus, and said that Christians were not targeted specifically, but fled the city on their own initiative because of the ongoing conflict.[11] Per interviews made by McClatchy Newspapers of refugees in Lebanon, there was no targeting of Christians because of their religion. Rather, a number of government-affiliated Christians were seized by the Farouq Brigades, which led to some Christians fleeing the area.
In August 2012, Lieutenant Abdul Razzaq Tlass, one of the Farooq Brigades top leaders was implicated in a sex scandal when video was posted to YouTube appearing to show him having cybersex with a woman through Skype. Tlass claimed the video to be a fabrication,[12] however by October 2012 Tlass was replaced as commander by Abu Sayeh Juneidi. [1]
In September 2012, the northern branch of the Farooq Brigades was accused of kidnapping and killing Abu Mohamad al-Absi, a Syrian Jihadist who led a group of foreign fighters and had ignored their demands to leave the Bab al-Hawa border post area.[4]
References
- ^ a b Lund, Aron (2012-10-05). "Holy Warriors". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
- ^ http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/72824-report-fsa-shells-hizbullah-positions-in-lebanon-syria
- ^ a b Ackerman, Spencer. "Syrian Rebels Burn Down a Marijuana Field on Facebook". Wired Magazine.
- ^ a b c Abouzeid, Rania (5 October 2012). "Syria's Up-and-Coming Rebels: Who Are the Farouq Brigades?". Time Magazine. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- ^ a b Holliday, Joseph. "Syria's Armed Opposition" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War.
- ^ "Syria's Islamist rebels join forces against Assad". Reuters.
- ^ "Battle for Syria: on the ground with the Farouk brigade". Channel 4 News.
- ^ Holliday, Joseph. "Syria's Maturing Insurgency" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War.
- ^ "Abuse of the opposition forces, "ethnic cleansing" of Christians in Homs, where Jesuits remains". Agenzia Fides. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ Fides Service - ASIA/SYRIA - The Jesuits: "Christians have fled from Homs, not thrown out by Islamists"
- ^ "Are Islamists targeting Christians in Homs? Catholic groups dispute cause of exodus". catholicCulture.org. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
- ^ Marrouch, Rima. "Syrian Rebel Leader Accuses Regime Of Fabricating Scandalous Video". NPR.
External links
- Farouq Brigades Official Website
- Farouq Brigades on Facebook Template:Ar icon
- Farouq Brigades on Twitter Template:Ar icon
