Jaysh al-Ummah

The Jaysh al-Ummah (Arabic: جيش الأمة‎; lit. Army of the Ummah[8]) was a coalition of 20 small rebel groups active during the Syrian Civil War.[1] The group operated in Damascus and Rif Dimashq Governorate.[7] It was disbanded on 9 March 2015, after it was defeated by Jaysh al-Islam[9] and its remaining fighters defected to the Syrian government forces in Eastern Ghouta.[4]

Jaysh al-Ummah
Army of the Ummah
جيش الأمة
Leaders
Dates of operation19 September 2014 – 9 March 2015[3][4]
Group(s)
  • Lions of Ghouta Brigade[1]
  • Lions of Justice Brigade[5]
  • Douma Martyrs Brigade[2]
  • Arbin Martyrs Brigade[6]
  • Conquest of al-Sham Brigade[6]
  • Farouq Omar Brigade[6]
  • Supporters of the Ummah Brigade[6]
  • Special Task Force[6]
HeadquartersDouma, Syria[7]
Active regionsRif Dimashq Governorate[7]
IdeologyIslamism[8]
Size1,500+[1]
OpponentsJaysh al-Islam[7]
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War

History

On 19 September 2014, 10 small rebel groups formed the Jaysh al-Ummah.[3] The leader of Jaysh al-Islam, part of the Islamic Front, Zahran Alloush, condemned the formation by saying that "there cannot be two heads for the same body". This immediately resulted in tensions and sporadic clashes between the two groups.[10]

On 29 September 2014, the leader of Jaysh al-Ummah survived an assassination attempt,[11] but his deputy was killed.[12] On 19 October 2014, a second assassination attempt was made on him. The attack wounded him and killed his son.[12]

On 1 January 2015, the newly formed Lions of Justice Brigade joined the coalition.[5]

On 3 January 2015, two leaders of Jaysh al-Ummah were assassinated by unknown gunmen.[5] The next day, Jaysh al-Islam declared war on Jaysh al-Ummah and captured its leader and seized its headquarters in Douma within a span of 6 hours. It also issued an arrest warrant against the deputy Nizar Khabbini. During the clashes, the Lions of Ghouta Brigade surrendered to Jaysh al-Islam, while 1,500 members of Jaysh al-Ummah were invited to join the ranks of the Islamic Front.[1][7] Majid Khayba, commander of Jaysh al-Ummah's Douma Martyrs Brigade, was also captured.[13] On 1 September 2015, he was executed by Jaysh al-Islam by firing squad.[2]

On 9 March 2015, the remaining fighters of the Jaysh al-Ummah in Eastern Ghouta, alongside al-Anfal Brigade, defected to Syrian government forces.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Elijah J. Magnier on Twitter". Twitter.
  2. "Army of Islam executes Abu Ali Khbaybah in the eastern Ghouta". Enab Baladi. 1 September 2015.
  3. "10 rebel and Islamic battalions in... - Syrian Observatory for Human Rights - Facebook".
  4. "Elijah J. Magnier". Twitter.
  5. "Unknown gunmen assassinate 2 leaders in al-Omma army". Syrian Observatory For Human Rights.
  6. "Factions in the eastern Ghouta unite under the umbrella of the "Army of the Ummah"". Enab Baladi. 19 September 2014.
  7. "The Unified Commander seizes dozens of Jaysho al- Ummah posts in Doma". SOHR. 4 January 2015. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  8. "Islamist group seizes Damascus suburb from rivals: monitor". Reuters. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  9. "An Islamist Experiment: Political Order in the East Ghouta". CarnegieEndowment.org. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  10. "As Syrian army closes in, Douma residents turn against rebels". Al Monitor. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  11. "an attempt to assassinate the leader of al-Omma army in Duma". Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. Archived from the original on 2015-01-03.
  12. "A blast targets the car of al-Omma Army, leads to the death of his son". Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. Archived from the original on 2015-01-04.
  13. ""Fought" Bashar al-Assad in the grip of the Army of Islam". Enab Baladi. 6 January 2015.


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