The Syrian civil war has seen the rise of a number of groups whose foundations are muhajireen ('migrants'- i.e. Sunni foreign fighters who came to Syria to participate in the insurgency). One of those groups is the Imam al-Bukhari Battalion. Today I conducted an interview with the group about its history and the current situation in Syria. Any parenthetical insertions in square brackets are my own.

Q: When was the Imam al-Bukhari Battalion formed and what was its origin exactly? From which countries are most of its members? Do you have Syrian members as well?

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Anti-Iranian sentiment has manifested itself in multiple ways during the recent rounds of Iraqi protests. Besides the appearance of anti-Iranian slogans that have repeatedly turned up, the protests have featured more extensive and open violence against Iranian assets and interests than in past demonstrations and unrest. In multiple governorates, protesters have burned bases of Iranian-supported factions within the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) such as 'Asaib Ahl al-Haq, the Badr Organization, and Harakat al-Abdal. Even more notably, demonstrators in the holy city of Karbala attacked the Iranian Consulate.

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The Latakia front has continued to witness fighting between Syrian government forces and the rebels. On the side of the Syrian government forces are some fighters in Iranian-backed formations. I have already documented one such case of a fighter from the 313 Force who was killed on the Latakia front recently. A few days ago, a fighter from the ranks of another formation- Fawj Qamr Bani Hashim ('The Moon of Banu Hashim Regiment')- was killed on the Latakia front. Fawj Qamr Bani Hashim is part of the Local Defence Forces and is tied to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The slain fighter's name is Mamdouh Abd al-Lateef Afdheel.

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The attack by the Turkish-backed 'Syrian National Army' (SNA) on areas east of the Euphrates held by the 'Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) has understandably provoked a large amount of international media and social media attention. Unsurprisingly, much of this attention focuses on whether SNA elements are committing abuses and human rights violations.

Of course, the SNA is well aware of this problem, and accordingly its Guidance Directorate recently issued a 'code of conduct' document for the SNA and the internal security forces. I have translated this 'code of conduct' in full.

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Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the dominant faction in Idlib and its environs, has a public relations department designed to deal with relations with the populace in areas under its control. This public relations administration includes complaints offices, about which an advertisement was recently shared on HTS' online networks.

"Notification issued by the Public Relations Administration:

The Public Relations Administration affiliated with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham announces the receipt of general complaints from our dear people on the following accounts:

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