Latest Blog Posts

The Life of Abu Waheed al-Heetawi of Jaysh Khalid bin al-Waleed

June 17, 2018 at 10:52 am

The locality of Heet (also transliterated as Hayt) in southwest Deraa province arguably encapsulates the civil war aspect of the fighting between Islamic State-affiliate Jaysh Khalid bin al-Waleed and Syrian rebel groups. Heet presently has a population of around 6000 people. The main families in Heet are:

- Bakariya
- al-Masri
- al-'Aqra'
- al-'Aishat
- al-Jaghini

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Poem of Sidonius Apollinaris for Priscus Valerianus (Arabic translation)

June 12, 2018 at 12:21 pm

For the Arabic translation and commentary, please follow the link.

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Interview with the Leader of Jund al-Malahem

June 9, 2018 at 5:16 pm

The rebel scene in southern Syria is dominated by factions that come under the broad 'Southern Front' coalition, which has been tied to an operations room (MOC) based in Amman. Though the Islamic State has managed to cultivate an affiliate in the southwest corner of Deraa province (Jaysh Khalid bin al-Waleed), tight Jordanian border controls have generally helped to limit jihadist influence in the south.

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The New Hospital in Qalb Lawza

June 7, 2018 at 4:32 pm

The Idlib Health Directorate recently opened a new hospital in the village of Qalb Lawza in the Jabal al-Summaq area of north Idlib countryside. What is the story behind this project?

For context, Qalb Lawza is one of the originally Druze villages of Jabal al-Summaq. In early 2015, under the rule and coercion of Jabhat al-Nusra, the remaining original inhabitants of the village and the other Druze villages in the area announced for the second time conversion to Sunni Islam.

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Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's Relationship With Turkey: Primary Texts

June 3, 2018 at 7:55 pm

The question of Turkey's relationship with the jihadist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham is controversial. The 'de-escalation' zone originally envisioned for Idlib province presumed that Turkey would take action to undermine Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. On the other hand, critics argue that Turkey is essentially cooperating with the group.

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