Latest Articles and Blog Posts

The History of Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib: Interview

August 14, 2018 at 5:35 pm

In brief, Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib (The Conquering Lion of God Brigade) is an Iraqi-led faction founded and based in Syria. To explore the history of the group further, I decided to conduct an interview with Hassanain Naji al-Mousawi, a member of Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib and brother of the group's leader Aqeel Naji al-Mousawi. The interview touches on some important matters:

(i) In my view, observers have not sufficiently appreciated that Iraqis who were already living in Syria were the foundations of the Iraqi-led groups that emerged in the Damascus area to fight in support of the Syrian government.

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The Post-Rebellion South: Interview

August 13, 2018 at 4:05 pm

With the rebellion in the south of Syria now defeated, an important question remains as to the political and military arrangements in that region, particularly regarding the problem of people in Deraa and Quneitra being wanted for military service. Given the key Russian role in the southern campaign in providing air support for the Syrian government's forces and negotiating reconciliation agreements, it is unsurprising to learn that the Russians are attempting to make inroads through their V Corps (Fifth Legion) project. The nucleus of the V Corps project in the south lies in the southeastern Deraa town of Busra al-Sham, where a reconciliation agreement was struck between the faction Quwat Shabab al-Sunna and the Russians.

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Interview with a Mukhtar of Azaz

August 13, 2018 at 8:00 am

Readers may recall my interview with the mukhtar of al-Karak al-Sharqi in east Deraa countryside prior to the Syrian government's military campaign that has now reclaimed the entire southern region. The case of the mukhtar of al-Karak al-Sharqi served as an interesting example of links between the Syrian government and areas controlled by the rebels.

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Quwat al-Aouda: Interview

August 11, 2018 at 8:57 am

It is well-known that a number of Palestinian factions fight on the side of the Syrian government in the civil war. Quwat al-Aouda ("Forces of Return"- قوات العودة) is notable as a Palestinian faction affiliated with Hezbollah. Overnight on 10-11 August 2018, I interviewed Abu Dhikra, the field official for the group. Any explanatory insertions are in square brackets.

Q: First, when was Quwat al-Aouda established and what was the idea behind establishing it?

A: It was established in July 2015. The idea was to bring to together all the Palestinian youth present in Syria, first to help the Syrian brothers against terrorism, and from there to work to return to Palestine, because the forces are Palestinian only.

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The 'Boko Haram' Allegiance Pledge to Islamic State: An Ansar al-Shari'a Tunisia Connection

August 8, 2018  •  aymennjawad.org

As an appropriate follow-on to the Islamic State West Africa Province's self-history, it is worth comparing its account of how the allegiance pledge of 'Boko Haram' (Jama'at Ahl al-Sunna lil-Da'wa wa al-Jihad) to the Islamic State came to be with this 2015 account from an outlet called Ifriqiya lil-Ilam (Africa Media). This account, written by someone who worked as a contact official in Ansar al-Shari'a Tunisia, tells the story of how he connected with someone from the media office of 'Boko Haram' and tried to help him disseminate releases from the group.

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