![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Ansar_al-Sham_Flag.png/640px-Ansar_al-Sham_Flag.png&w=640&q=50)
Ansar al-Sham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ansar al-Sham is a Sunni militant group active in the Syrian Civil War, and it mainly fights against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies.[10] It was founded by Abu-Omar al-Jamil, who fought in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. The group allows both foreign fighters and local Syrian people to join the group and the group is described to be made up of people who left the SAA, shopkeepers, and farmers.[11]
Quick Facts Kata'ib Ansar al-Sham Supporters of the Levant Battalions, Leaders ...
Kata'ib Ansar al-Sham Supporters of the Levant Battalions[1] | |
---|---|
Arabic: كتائب أنصار الشام | |
![]() Flag of Ansar al-Sham | |
Leaders | Abu Omar al-Jamil (overall leader) Abu Musa al-Shishani (military commander)[2] |
Dates of operation | September 2012[2] – present |
Group(s) | al-Zahir Baybars Battalion[3] |
Headquarters | Jabal al-Akrad, Latakia Governorate[3] |
Active regions | Latakia Governorate[4] Idlib Governorate[1] |
Ideology | Sunni Islamism[5] |
Size | 2,500[3] (March 2014) |
Part of | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Allies | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Opponents | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War
|
Close
Not to be confused with Ahrar al-Sham, another Islamist militant group or Ansar al-Islam, which has a Syrian faction that sometimes also goes by the name Ansar al-Sham.