The Omari Brigades was a Syrian rebel group formed in the Lajat region in Daraa Governorate as the first FSA group formed in the province. It received TOW missiles and has been supplied and funded by Saudi Arabia. It is part of the Alliance of Southern Forces. The group is named after the Omari Mosque in Daraa city.[3]
| Omari Brigades | |
|---|---|
| Alwiyat al-Omari | |
 Logo of the Omari Brigades | |
| Leaders | Capt Qais Al Qatahneh. †[1] Fares Adib al-Baydar[2] (formerly) |
| Headquarters | Lajat region, Syria |
| Active regions | Daraa Governorate[3] |
| Part of |  Free Syrian Army
Syrian Revolutionaries Front southern branch (former) |
| Allies |  Saudi Arabia Criterion BrigadesTahrir al-Sham  Islamic Muthanna Movement (Until 2016) |
| Opponents |  Syria Iran Hezbollah Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Since 2016) |
| Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War |
History
editThe group's leader, Captain Al Qatahneh, was killed in a gun battle with an opposition activist named Qaisar Habib on 28 August 2014. The activist, severely wounded and admitted to a hospital, was murdered on 19 October by Omari Brigades fighters.[1] In 2016, the group participated in the fight between the Syrian opposition and two Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-affiliated groups, the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade and the Islamic Muthanna Movement. On 1 April, ISIL attempted to assassinate Fares Adib al-Baydar, the former brigade leader.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Blinded by feuds, Syria's southern rebels turn guns on one another". The National. 16 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Clashes Renew between the rebels and (IS) Group Rural Daraa". 1 April 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c "The Moderate Rebels: A Complete and Growing List of Vetted GroupsDemocratic Revolution, Syrian Style". 21 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.