Azadî Battalion

The Azadî Battalion (Arabic: كتيبة آزادي‎), also known as the Elite Battalion, is a Kurdish unit affiliated with the Free Syrian Army and reportedly loyal to Mustafa Cumma's Kurdish Freedom Party (also called Azadî Party).[lower-alpha 1] Founded in 2012 and led by Azad Shabo, the Azadî Battalion is opposed to the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and fights on the side of Turkey in the Syrian Civil War.

Not to be confused with the Azadî Battalions,[1] also called the Azadî Battalion, based in the Hasakah Governorate, which was formed in August 2012[2] and fought in the Battle of Ras al-Ayn (2012–13).[3][4]
Azadî Battalion / Elite Battalion
Arabic: كتيبة آزادي‎
LeadersAzad Shabo[5][6]
Dates of operationearly 2012 – present
AllegianceMustafa Cumma's Kurdish Freedom Party[7] (officially denied)[5]
Active regionsAleppo Governorate, Syria
Size100 (self-claim)[8]
Part of Free Syrian Army
Allies Turkey
Opponents Syrian Democratic Forces Syrian Armed Forces
 Islamic State
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War

History

Early phase of the civil war and decline
Azad Shabo, commander of the Azadî Battalion, in May 2016, when it was part of the Army of Mujahideen.

Mustafa Cumma's Kurdish Freedom Party is a long-standing rival of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and strongly opposes its policies.[7] In early 2012,[10] members of the Kurdish Freedom Party came together in the village of Tel Aren, Afrin District, where they announced the formation of the Azadî Battalion under the leadership of Azad Shabo.[6][lower-alpha 2] Though considered "supporters of the Kurdish Freedom Party",[7] the Azadî Battalion denied an affiliation to any party.[5] It subsequently joined the anti-PYD Free Syrian Army and the Aleppo Revolutionary Military Council, led by Abdul Jabbar al-Oqaidi;[12] the pro-PYD Hawar News Agency has accused the militia of directly working with the al-Nusra Front in Ras al-Ayn.[6] After the formation of a PYD/YPG-aligned FSA group, named the Kurdish Front, at the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013, the influence of other Kurdish FSA groups such as the Azadî Battalion and the Saladin Ayubi Brigade began to decline.[10]

Meanwhile, Cumma's Kurdish Freedom Party left the Kurdish Supreme Committee, an attempted coalition government of pro- and anti-PYD parties for the Syrian Kurdish-held territories, in February 2013. Hostilities between the two parties consequently grew, and the Azadî Battalion clashed with the YPG at the villages of Burj Abdilla and Abdilla in the Afrin Region on 7 March 2013. Both sides blamed each other for this incident that left four fighters dead.[7] Sporadic fighting between the two groups continued,[6] and Azadî Battalion fighters reportedly took part in attacks on the YPG-held Sheikh Maqsood neighborhood of Aleppo since September 2013.[13] The group also fought with other rebels against the Syrian Army in Aleppo's Khan al-Asal and Rashidin.[5]

When the al-Nusra Front and allied FSA units attacked and overran the Kurdish Front's positions at Tall Hasil and Tall Aran southeast of Aleppo International Airport, the Azadî Battalion was accused of having taken part in the fighting.[6][14] The battalion itself denied this,[5] while a FSA member declared that the Azadî Battalion had simply started policing the villages after their capture by the FSA.[15] Nevertheless, the Kurdish Supreme Committee consequently started an investigation of the Azadî Battalion "for allegedly taking part in the attacks against West Kurdistan".[14] The Kurdish Institute of Brussels condemned the Azadî Battalion for the same reasons.[16] Meanwhile, hardcore Islamist rebel groups accused the Azadî Battalion of working with the Kurdish Front.[5]

By 2016, the Azadî Battalion had joined the Army of Mujahideen. In May 2016, Azad Shabo gave an interview to Halab Today, claiming that the Syrian government, not the FSA, was shelling Sheikh Maqsood, while also accusing the YPG forces in Sheikh Maqsood of being allied to the government. He also said that the YPG helped to break the Siege of Nubl and al-Zahraa, and that the PYD's rule over Afrin was a brutal, mismanaged dictatorship.[17][18] Though the Azadî Battalion continued to fight against the YPG, its power reportedly dwindled over time, and pro-PYD media claimed that parts of the militia under Mahmut Hamo eventually split off and joined the Sultan Murad Division.[10] The rest of the Azadî Battalion eventually joined the Elite Army while remaining under Azad Shabo's command. The unit thereafter came to call itself the "Elite Battalion",[6] though also continued to use its old name.[8] It is unclear how numerous the unit still is; Shabo said in late January 2018 that there were "dozens" of Kurds fighting with pro-Turkish forces in Syria,[19] though claimed a few weeks later that his unit included "100 Kurdish fighters affiliated with the FSA".[8]

Operations with the SNA

The Azadî Battalion became part of the Syrian National Army in 2016 and took part in Operation Euphrates Shield against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. In course of that campaign, it fought at Jarablus, Azaz and al-Bab.[6] In March 2017, Azad Shabo stated that his militia was supporting the deployment of Rojava Peshmerga to Syria.[20]

In September 2017, someone attempted to assassinate Azad Shabo by placing a bomb under his car, though the explosive device was found and destroyed before it could harm anyone.[21] In early 2018, the Azadî Battalion participated in Operation Olive Branch, causing the pro-PYD Hawar News Agency to claim that Azad Shabo's men acted as "mercenaries" for the Kurdish National Council and Turkey. On the other side, Azad Shabo accused the YPG of being "agents of the Syrian regime"[6] and said that the campaign would not end before Afrin had been captured from the YPG.[19] In another interview, he further stated that "Afrin will return to the arms of the Syrian revolution and will win back the rights of its people. The YPG is no different from Assad’s regime. They have both practiced tyranny and murder against Kurds. Operation Olive Branch will liberate Afrin's inhabitants."[8] An Azadî Battalion commander accused Iran of increasing its presence through proxy militias in southeastern Aleppo in October 2018, claiming that said militias were lawless and not loyal to Syrian authorities.[22]

In late 2019, the Azadî Battalion took part in the Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria.[23]

Ideology

The Azadî Battalion claims to fight for democracy and the liberation of all Syrians from the rule of the al-Assad family. It regards the PYD and YPG/YPJ as Ba'athist, chauvinist and racist proxies of the Kurdistan Workers' Party who are thought by the Azadî Battalion to be controlled by Iran and closely allied with the Syrian government.[17][8] Furthermore, Azad Shabo has stated his belief that the "PYD was formed to fight Islam".[17] The Azadî Battalion officially voiced support for the Kurdish National Council in 2017.[20]

See also

Notes
  1. There also exists another "Kurdish Freedom Party" in Syria that is led by Mustafa Jum'ah[9] and unrelated to the Azadî Battalion.
  2. By October 2012, there also existed a Kurdish Free Syrian Army unit in al-Hasakah known as "Azadi Brigade",[11] though it is not known if this unit had any relation to the Azadî Battalion.

References
  1. Adnan Mustafa (22 January 2013). "Kurdish battalions from where and where to turn". Firat News Agency. 10. Azadî Battalions Qamishlo
  2. "Abdul Basset Sida: We have concerns about arming the Kurds". Al Arabiya. 26 August 2012. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018.
  3. Fehim Tastekin (2013). "Syria: Difficult to Read New Kurdish-FSA Alliance". al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  4. "Muayed Shaikhani". Violations Documentation Center in Syria.
  5. "قائد ميداني في كتيبة آزادي لولاتي: لم نحارب ضد أية جهة كوردية في تلعرن أو تلحاصل" [Field commander in the Azadi Battalion: We did not fight against any Kurdish party in Tal Aran or Tal Hasil]. Welati. 11 August 2013. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013.
  6. Hogir Nejjae (24 January 2018). "Kurdish National Council participates in aggression against Afrin". Hawar News Agency. Archived from the original on 2018-01-28. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  7. Wladimir van Wilgenburg (10 March 2013). "Rival Kurdish Parties Clash in Syria". al-Monitor. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  8. Khaled al-Khateb (16 February 2018). "Kurdish fighters join Turkey's Afrin operation". al-Monitor. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  9. "The Kurdish Freedom Party in Syria (Azadî) divided". Kurd Watch. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  10. "Erdoğan's Kurdish gangs". ANF News. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  11. "Syria crisis: bombs hit security complex - Tuesday 9 October 2012". The Guardian. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  12. "Abdul-Jabbar al-Akidi Azadi battalion is with us in Tel Aran and Tal holds". Firat News Agency. 2 August 2013.
  13. "Eight FSA militants killed in Aleppo". ANF News. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  14. "PDKS leaves Syrian Kurdish National Council". ANF News. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  15. "Aleppo: Fighting between Kurdish Front Brigade and FSA". Kurd Watch. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  16. "Statement on the declaration of the interim joint administration in Kurdish region in Syria". Kurdish Institute of Brussels. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  17. Halab Today (10 June 2016). "PYD collaborates w/regime : interview of Azad Sha'bu commander of FSA Kurdish Azadi Battalion". Yalla Souriya. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  18. "لقاﺀ خاص مع أزاد شعبو قائد كتيبة ازادي الكردية في جيش المجاهدين إحدى فصائل الثورة السورية في حلب" [Special meeting with Azad Shobo commander of the Kurdish Azadi battalion in the Army of Mujahideen one of the factions of the Syrian revolution in Aleppo]. Halab Today. 27 May 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  19. Zaman al-Wasl (24 January 2018). "Dozens of Kurds Fighting Under FSA Banner: Rebel Commander". Syrian observer. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  20. "كتيبة كُردية ضمن "درع الفرات" تقاتل "الأسد" وتفتح الطريق لــ"بيشمركة روج آفا"" [Kurdish battalion within "Euphrates Shield" fighting "Assad" and open the way to "Rojava Peshmerga"]. Adar Press. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  21. "بعد نجاته من عبوة لاصقة.. قيادي في "درع الفرات": اختراقات أمنية في "جرابلس"". Zaman al-Wasl (in Arabic). 5 September 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  22. ""ميليشيات إيران" توسع انتشارها بريف حلب وتنشئ ثكنات عسكرية" ["Iran's militias" expand their deployment in Aleppo countryside and build military barracks]. Baladi News. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  23. NUR ÖZKAN ERBAY; MUSTAFA KIRIKÇIOĞLU (13 October 2019). "Syrian Kurds look to end YPG-rule in Syria". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
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