| Junud al-Sham | |
|---|---|
| جنود الشام | |
 Logo of Junud al-Sham | |
| Leaders | Abu Turab Shishani Muslim Abu Walid al Shishani |
| Dates of operation | 2012 – 2021 |
| Group(s) | Liwaa Usud al-Islam Artillery and Infantry Battalion (former) |
| Headquarters | Jisr al-Shughur |
| Active regions | Syria |
| Ideology | Sunni Islamism Salafism |
| Size | 70 (2021 estimate) |
| Allies |  Ahrar al-Sham Tahrir al-Sham Group of the One and Only |
| Opponents |  Syria Iran Russia Syrian Resistance Hezbollah Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Tahrir al-Sham (sometimes) |
| Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War |
Junud al-Sham (Soldiers of the Levant), sometimes also called Jund al-Sham, was a group of Chechen Sunni mujahideen that fought in the Syrian Civil War and were led by Muslim Abu Walid al Shishani until its disbanding in 2021.
History
Unlike many other foreign mujahideen, Junud al-Sham remained mostly independent from other Syrian rebel groups. Many of its fighters defected to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant commander Abu Omar al-Shishani in 2014. The remainder of the group remained combat-ready, and continued to take part in military operations in 2015. Financial difficulties caused a further decline, however, and some sources claimed that it was reduced to merely 30 fighters by early 2016. In a video address, Muslim Shishani consequently reproached other insurgent groups in Syria for not providing assistance, which regional expert Joanna Paraszczuk described as a "rant". In September 2016, Junud al-Sham travelled to Hama Governorate in order to fight in a local rebel offensive. Later that year, there were reports according to which the group had dissolved, reportedly as result of clashes with Ahrar al-Sham, with many of its Chechen fighters reportedly joining Ajnad al-Kavkaz.
Despite these reports, however, other reports suggested remnants of Junud al-Sham were still active by 2018. In January 2018, pro-government media reported that "a military source in Damascus" said the group took part in a major military campaign against the government in northwestern Syria. Meanwhile, the Turkish newspaper Yeni Akit claimed Shishani was participating in the Turkish military operation in Afrin. However, Shishani denied that he or his followers were in Afrin, and confirmed he was in Hama, fighting alongside another Chechen militia, Tarkhan Gaziyev's Katiba Abd Ar-Rahman. A German foreign fighter with the group named Abu Khalid al-Shami said in an interview from 22 July 2019 that the group clashed with ISIL in Abu Dali. Sometime between 2019 and 2021 the group relocated to Jisr as Shugour countryside.
During the summer of 2021 HTS arrested local criminals who were members of Junud al Sham. Shishani denied these claims and said that the criminals were not affiliated with the group. Despite this Junud al Sham were still forced by HTS to disband. In October 2021 Junud al-Sham came in the crossfire of clashes between Jundullah, a fringe extremist group based out of Idlib, and HTS. HTS assured Shishani that Junud al Sham was not the target of these clashes but that Shishani and his fighters had to leave the area of operations.
See also
References
- ^ "Split Among North Caucasian Fighters in Syria". The Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- "HTS and Muslim al-Shishani: What Happened?". Levant24. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ""Jaish al-Hama" regional rebel merger pledges allegiance to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham". Conflict News. 15 August 2017. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017.
- ^ Mairbek Vatchagaev (1 October 2015). "Is Moscow Set to Target Russians Fighting Against Assad in Syria?". Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "Syrian opposition groups fail to capture Aleppo prison". Al Monitor. 2 February 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
- ^ "Chechen al Qaeda commander, popular Saudi cleric, and an Ahrar al Sham leader spotted on front lines in Latakia". Long War Journal. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- @AbdussamedDgl1 (26 October 2021). "Muslim Shishani and his 70 soldiers who left the Turkman mountains reached home and to their families safely" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 December 2024 – via Twitter.
- "GUEST POST: The 4 Chechen Brigades In Jamaat Ahadun Ahad". From Chechnya To Syria. 16 August 2014. Archived from the original on 19 September 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- Weiss, Caleb (23 April 2015). "Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria involved in new Idlib offensive". Long War Journal. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- "Chechens Fighting in Syria Increasingly Joining Forces With Islamic State". Jamestown Foundation. 3 March 2016.
- Fadel, Leith (14 September 2016). "Chechen jihadist group joins rebels in northern Hama". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- "Der Syrische Bürgerkrieg - Update 19 04 2017". Truppendienst.com (Austrian Armed Forces) (in German). 27 April 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- Rao Komar (19 November 2016). "Most Chechens left and joined Ajnad al-Kavkaz. Junud leader Muslim Shishani has not joined another group and is not fighting currently". Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- Leith Aboufadel (26 January 2018). "Al-Qaeda linked Chechen group and infamous commander head to southern Idlib to fight Syrian Army". al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- "Ünlü Çeçen komutan Zeytin Dalı operasyonuna katıldı". yeniakit (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- Joanna Paraszczuk (29 January 2018). "Tarkhan's jamaat (Katiba abd ar-Rahman) fighting in Hama alongside Muslim Shishani". From Chechnya to Syria. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
- Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (8 September 2019). "A German Muhajir in al-Sham: Interview". Aymenn Jawad blog. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- sh, obaida (9 July 2021). "HTS and Muslim al-Shishani: What happened?". levant24. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- sh, obaida (27 October 2021). "Muslim Shishani Steps Aside as HTS Concludes Security Operations against Jundullah". levant24. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
