Guardians of Religion Organization

Guardians of Religion Organization
Arabic: تنظيم حراس الدين‎
Tanẓīm Ḥurrās ad-Dīn
Participant in the Syrian Civil War
Logo of the group
Active 27 February 2018–present
Ideology Salafist jihadism
Groups
  • Jaysh al-Malahim
  • Jaysh al-Badia
  • Jaysh al-Sahel
  • Saraya al-Sahel
  • Saraya al-Kabul
  • Jund al-Sharia
  • Jund al-Aqsa cells[1]
  • Ansar al-Haqq
  • Abna al-Sharia[2]
  • Abdullah Azzam Group[3]
Leaders
Area of operations Idlib Governorate
Hama Governorate[4]
Latakia Governorate, Syria[5]
Size 2,000–3,000[6]
Part of

al-Qaeda[4]

  • Alliance to Support Islam[7]
Split from Tahrir al-Sham
Allies Turkistan Islamic Party[8]
Tahrir al-Sham[9]
Ansar al-Tawhid[7]
Jaysh al-Izza[10]
Opponents Syria
 Iraq[11]
Russia[12]
Battles and wars Syrian Civil War

The Guardians of Religion Organization (Arabic: تنظيم حراس الدين‎ Tanẓīm Ḥurrās ad-Dīn) is an armed insurgent group affiliated with Al-Qaeda and fighting in the Syrian Civil War. The head of the group, Abu Humam al-Shami, was formerly a member of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and previously the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's branch in Syria between 2013 and 2016.[4] Abu Jilibib Tubas and Abu Khadija al-Urduni, members of the Guardians of Religion's shura council, left Jabhat Fateh al-Sham in 2016 due to its reported disassociation from al-Qaeda.[13] Tubas, al-Shami, and Sami al-Oraydi were arrested by HTS in November 2017,[14][15] in an attempt to stave off the formation of another al-Qaeda affiliated group in Syria.[16] Also, in November 2017, Jaysh al-Badia and Jaysh al-Malahim were formed.[8] It is thought by an Israeli organization that the formation of the group will weaken HTS.[17]

Shura council members

History

In February 2018, the group stated that it is opposed to the fighting between the Syrian Liberation Front and Tahrir al-Sham.[1] Jaysh al-Sahel said that it will fight the SLF if "Muhambal, Bisanqul, and Kafr Shalaya" are attacked.[19]

On 26 April 2018, the Guardians of Religion Organization, along with Ansar al-Tawhid, (a Jund al-Aqsa faction) and Jaysh al-Izza, launched an offensive against Syrian Government forces in the northern countryside of the Hama Governorate.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Seven Al-Qaeda-Affiliated Groups Form New Force In Northern Syria". South Front. 28 February 2018.
  2. ↑ "al-Qa'ida loyalists reacted strongly against the NLF merger, saying it's a implemention of Astana & warns of impending attack on them & HTS shouldn't be trusted to defend them. Related, 2 more small groups (Ansar al-Haqq, Abna al-Sharia) join Hurras al-Din along with some jurists". Twitter. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  3. ↑ "You sure about this? The statement say "مجموعة" i.e. group, not "كتائب" (brigades). Also their leader haven't shared anything on this on his social media accounts". Twitter. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Joško Barić (28 February 2018). "Syrian War Daily – 28th of February 2018". Syrian War Daily.
  5. ↑ "Russian Warplanes Strike Militants In Northern Lattakia Following Attack On Syrian Army". South Front. 3 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  6. ↑ Tore Refslund Hamming; Pieter Van Ostaeyen (8 April 2018). "The True Story of al-Qaeda's Demise and Resurgence in Syria". Lawfare Blog. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  7. 1 2 Joško Barić (29 April 2018). "Syrian War Daily – 29th of April 2018". Syrian War Daily.
  8. 1 2 "Explainer: Who are the jihadist groups fighting in Syria's Idlib?". BBC Monitoring. 13 January 2018.
  9. ↑ "Syrian War Daily – 26th of April 2018". Syrian War Daily. 26 April 2018.
  10. 1 2 "After military operation for it, violent attack by Horas Al-Din and Ansar Al-Tawheed and Jaysh Al-Izza in northern Hama and heavy aerial and ground shelling target the area". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 26 April 2018.
  11. ↑ https://www.alghadpress.com/news/أخبار-العراق/170445/حذر-من-عودة-داعش-للأنبار-مصدر-قوة-خاصة-عراقية-تطيح
  12. ↑ Mais Noor Aldeen (24 September 2018). "Guardians of Religion shells Russian monitoring outpost, Eastern Idlib". SMART News Agency. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  13. ↑ "How al-Qa`ida Lost Control of its Syrian Affiliate: The Inside Story". Combating Terrorism Center. February 2018.
  14. ↑ "Former Al-Qaeda in Syria Branch Arrests Members of Al-Qaeda in Syria". The Syrian Intifada. 28 November 2017.
  15. ↑ "Tahrir al-Sham Arrests of Qaeda Leaders Cranks up Zawahiri- Julani Dispute". Asharq Al-Awsat. 30 November 2017.
  16. ↑ Mona Alami (6 December 2017). "Syria's Largest Militant Alliance Steps Further Away From al-Qaida". Syria Deeply.
  17. ↑ "Split among Al-Qaeda's supporters in Syria, in light of severe differences of opinion regarding the nature of the ties with Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri". The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 13 March 2018.
  18. ↑ Rita Katz (28 March 2018). "Has al-Qaeda Replanted its Flag in Syria?". InSite Blog on Terrorism and Extremism. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  19. ↑ Joško Barić (2 March 2018). "Syrian War Daily – 2nd of March 2018". Syrian War Daily.
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