As readers of this blog know, I sometimes document for historical purposes the lives of individual fighters who have died during the war in Syria. In this case I document the life of Ammar Haitham Jardi, an early 'martyr' of the National Ideological Resistance who fought in the ranks of the Republican Guard.

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A variety of jihadist channels and personalities inhabit the realm of Telegram. One of them is the 'Warith al-Qassam,' known for being supportive of al-Qa'ida. Today I conducted an interview with 'Warith al-Qassam' regarding the assessment of the state of the jihad in northwest Syria amid the dominance of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (which evolved from Jabhat al-Nusra and ended its affiliation with al-Qa'ida) and its continued crackdown on the al-Qa'ida-loyalist group Hurras al-Din, as well as the rise of new jihadist groups claiming operations against the Turkish army and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. Any parenthetical insertions in square brackets are my own.

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Various military formations in Syria occasionally post recruitment advertisements on social media. One recent case is that of Saraya al-Ra'ad of the Iranian-backed Local Defence Forces. The announcement was posted recently via Facebook, offering a WhatsApp number for contact.

I contacted this number and it turns out that the terms of recruitment are as follows:

- Taswiyat al-wad' ('regularisation of status') for those who have evaded the draft and deserted and are wanted for reserve service. There are also contracts for civilians.

- Salary of 100,000 Syrian pounds per month, with food expenses on the shoulder of the formation.

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Previously on this blog I covered the story of the French muhajireen-led group Firqatul Ghuraba, whose leader Omar Omsen was arrested by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (the dominant insurgent faction in Idlib and its environs) in August 2020. As of the time of writing, Omsen remains imprisoned. A statement has now been issued by Omsen's family on the ongoing imprisonment of Omsen. As with other cases of arrests by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, there has been little transparency for the family about the judicial proceedings.

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Statement

As-salam alaykum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuhu

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Forces affiliated with the Hashd Sha'abi Commission have an important presence in the Sinjar area in northwest Iraq on the border with Syria. One of those groups is the 'Sinjar Force.' Previously on this blog I provided a translation of an interview conducted by al-Fallujah TV with Sayyid Mahmoud al-Araji (Arabic spelling: السيد محمود الأعرجي), who is the commander of the Sinjar Force. Yesterday I got the opportunity to interview al-Araji myself about the Sinjar Force and the current situation in Sinjar. The interview is slightly edited and condensed for clarity. Any parenthetical insertions in square brackets are my own.

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