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Northern Division (Syrian rebel group)

{{short description|Unit of the Free Syrian Army}}

{{Update|inaccurate=yes|date=July 2016}}

{{infobox war faction

| name = Northern Division

| native_name = الفرقة الشمالية

| native_name_lang = Ar

| war = the Syrian Civil War

| image = 250px
Logo of the Northern Division
250px
Flag of the Knights of Justice Brigade

| caption =

| active = *25 February 2012—present (Knights of Justice Brigade){{cite news|url=https://jamestown.org/brief/february-2016-briefs-free/|title=LIWA FURSAN'S MODERATE SYRIAN FIELD COMMANDER LT. COLONEL FARES AL-BAYOUSH|work=Jamestown|date=29 February 2016}}

  • December 2015—present (Northern Division){{cite tweet |user= arabthomness|number= 674277870525620224|date= 8 December 2015|title= #Syria: Liwa Fursan al-Haqq and the 101st Infantry Division announce a merger to for Furqat al-Shamaliah (#FSA)}}

| ideology =

| clans = *{{Flagicon image|Flag of the Knights of Justice Brigade.svg}} Knights of Justice Brigade

  • {{flagicon image|Flag of the 101st Division (Syrian rebel group).svg}} 101st Infantry Division (December 2015—June 2016)

| leaders = *Lt. Col. Fares Bayoush (former, resigned in 2017){{cite web|url=http://www.alhayat.com/Articles/19917991/%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A-%D9%85%D9%86--%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%A5%D8%AF%D9%84%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B1--%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A9--%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%AF-|title=The resignation of a leader of the "army Idlib free" to face the "black banners of cross-border"|work=Al-Hayat|date=2 February 2017|access-date=2 February 2017|archive-date=4 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204124837/http://www.alhayat.com/Articles/19917991/%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A-%D9%85%D9%86--%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%A5%D8%AF%D9%84%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B1--%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A9--%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%AF-|url-status=dead}}

  • 1st Lt. Mohamed Khaled Bayoush{{cite web|url=http://aletihadpress.com/2016/11/23/%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%8A/|title=Najat leader of the free Idlib Jaish Albyosh an assassination attempt Brive Idlib|work=Al-Etihad Press|date=23 November 2016|access-date=15 January 2017|archive-date=16 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116171353/http://aletihadpress.com/2016/11/23/%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%8A/|url-status=dead}}

| headquarters = Kafr Nabl

| area = *Hama Governorate

| size = *1,400 total, 300 active combatants (2013){{Cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-worries-of-a-syrian-rebel-commander|title=The Worries of a Syrian Rebel Commander|magazine=The New Yorker|date=19 December 2013}}

  • 1,200 (2015)

| partof = *{{flagicon|Syrian opposition}} Free Syrian Army

| predecessor = Knights of Justice Battalion

| successor =

| allies = *{{flagicon image|Flag of the 101st Division (Syrian rebel group).svg}} 101st Infantry Division

| opponents = *{{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces (1980–2024).svg}} Syrian Armed Forces

| battles = Syrian Civil War

}}

The Northern Division ({{langx|ar|الفرقة الشمالية}}), formerly the Knights of Justice Brigade ({{langx|ar|لواء فرسان الحق}}, {{transl|ar|Liwa Fursan al-Haqq}}), is a Free Syrian Army group sanctioned by the Syrian National Council and formerly part of the Syrian Revolutionary Command Council.{{cite web |url=http://the-arab-chronicle.com/exclusive-18-syrian-revolutionary-factions-advancing-toward-one-army-project/|title=EXCLUSIVE – 18 Syrian revolutionary factions advancing toward a One Army project|work=The Arab Chronicle|accessdate=24 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115620/http://the-arab-chronicle.com/exclusive-18-syrian-revolutionary-factions-advancing-toward-one-army-project/# |archive-date=26 August 2014}} The group received BGM-71 TOW missiles from the United States and Saudi Arabia, and is also armed, trained, and funded by Qatar.{{cite web|url=https://hasanmustafas.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/the-moderate-rebels-a-complete-and-growing-list-of-vetted-groups-fielding-tow-missiles/|title=THE MODERATE REBELS: A GROWING LIST OF VETTED GROUPS FIELDING BGM-71 TOW ANTI-TANK GUIDED MISSILES|work=Hasan Mustafas|date=8 May 2015}}

History

The Knights of Justice Battalion was formed on 25 February 2012 by a defected Syrian Army first lieutenant Mohammed Khaled Bayoush in the town of Kafr Nabl in the Idlib Governorate. In September 2012 the group changed its name to the Knights of Justice Brigade after absorbing several smaller rebel groups. Former Syrian Air Force lieutenant colonel Fares Bayoush became its overall commander.

In June 2013, the group was one of the founding members of the 13th Division, but later left the group.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxWPT7gulXU|title=18 6 Ugarit statement the formation of the band 13 in Idlib province|work=Ugarit News|date=18 June 2013}}

The group received funding, including salaries for its fighters, from the CIA, before being cut off in December 2014 following battlefield reversals at the hands of the al-Nusra Front.{{cite news|url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article24777280.html|title=Rebels in northern Syria say U.S. has stopped paying them|date=9 December 2014|accessdate=9 February 2015|agency=McClatchy Newspapers|quote="In November we received all kinds of support including salaries. This month support stopped completely," said Col. Fares Bayyoush, leader of the Fursan al Haqq Brigade in Kafr Nabel, a town about 20 miles south of the city of Idlib.}}

The brigade joined a "quick response unit" of 600 fighters alongside other moderate and jihadist groups on 8 July 2014 to fight the Syrian Army and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Aleppo.{{cite web|url=http://www.matthewaid.com/post/91243933186/syrian-military-preparing-to-launch-offensive-in-aleppo|title=Syrian Military Preparing to Launch Offensive in Aleppo |work=Institute for the Study of War|date=9 July 2014|accessdate=23 August 2014}} It suspended its cooperation with al-Nusra Front on 21 July 2014.{{cite web |url= http://notgeorgesabra.wordpress.com/2014/07/22/hazm-movement-and-syrian-revolutionary-front-suspending-all-forms-of-cooperation-with-nusra/|title=Hazm Movement and Syrian Revolutionary Front: Suspending All Forms of Cooperation with Nusra|work=Democratic Revolution, Syrian Style|date=22 July 2014 |accessdate=23 August 2014}} On 7 September 2014, the Knights of Justice Brigade announced that they were allying their forces with four other rebel groups, including the 101st Division{{cite web |url=http://en.etilaf.org/all-news/news/merger-of-five-rebel-factions-into-the-fifth-corps.html |title=Merger of Five Rebel Factions into the Fifth Corps|work=National Coalition of Syrian and Revolutionary Forces|date=8 September 2014|accessdate=8 September 2014}} and the 13th Division,{{cite web|url=http://i.aksalser.com/news_pics/2014/09/07/968711577.jpg|accessdate=18 September 2014|title=Archived copy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043051/http://i.aksalser.com/news_pics/2014/09/07/968711577.jpg|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}} into the 5th Corps.

In March 2015, the "Famous Brigade" which consisted of 170 fighters joined the Knights of Justice Brigade.{{cite web|url=http://smartnews-agency.org/news/47605|title=Join the faction's "famous Brigades" to "the banner of the Knights of the right" in Idlib|work=SMART News Agency|date=26 March 2015|access-date=15 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116204742/http://smartnews-agency.org/news/47605|archive-date=16 January 2017|url-status=dead}}

In mid-2015 the group renewed cooperation with the al-Nusra Front as part of the Army of Conquest during the northwestern Syria offensive (April–June 2015).

In September 2015 the 117 recruits from the group graduated after 3 months of training.{{cite web|url=http://en.etilaf.org/all-news/local-news/fsa-s-fursan-al-haq-brigade-completes-training-of-second-batch-of-fighters.html|title=FSA's Fursan al-Haq Brigade Completes Training of Second Batch of Fighters|work=Etilaf|date=30 September 2015}}

In December 2015 the Knights of Justice Brigade and the 101st Infantry Division formed the Northern Division. However, the 101st Division later left the group in June 2016, making the Knights of Justice Brigade the only component of the group.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IAPRq9Tcb8|title=The 101st Infantry statement on separation from Knights of Justice|work=Youtube|date=10 June 2016}}

In June 2016, Mohammed Khaled Bayoush survived an assassination attempt by car bomb near Kafr Nabl. He later became the deputy commander in the Free Idlib Army which the Northern Division is part of, and survived another assassination attempt near Kafr Nabl.

31 January 2017, Lt. Col. Fares Bayoush resigned from his positions in the Northern Division and the Free Idlib Army, citing "Black Standards" and the heavy presence of foreign jihadist fighters in Idlib. Bayoush claims that 12,000 rebel fighters have recently sought refuge in Turkey.

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8K86UAGWYCgV8ru2z43cbg Northern Division Youtube channel]

Category:Anti-Assad factions of the Syrian civil war

Category:Anti-ISIL factions in Syria

Category:Free Syrian Army

Category:Military units and factions of the Syrian civil war