The Euphrates Liberation Brigade (Arabic: Liwa Tahrir al-Furat) is a mostly Arab militia that operates as part of the Syrian Democratic Forces' Manbij Military Council (MMC) in the Syrian civil war.
| Euphrates Liberation Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Liwa Tahrir al-Furat | |
 Members of the militia with their flag | |
| Leaders | Ibrahim Semho (commander) Enwer Xebat (founder)[1] |
| Dates of operation | October 2016 – present |
| Headquarters | Manbij |
| Ideology | Syrian federalism Democracy Anti-racism Anti-Islamism |
| Size | 250+[1] |
| Part of |  Syrian Democratic Forces
|
| Opponents |  Islamic State Turkey and its Syrian allies |
| Battles and wars | Syrian civil war |
History
editThe Euphrates Liberation Brigade was founded in Manbij as part of the MMC in October 2016. Originally 250 men strong,[1][3] the militia expanded over time, mostly recruiting Arabs from Manbij city and its surroundings.[4] Several of its fighters are former Free Syrian Army (FSA) members who abandoned the rebellion against Bashar al-Assad due to the increasing Islamist radicalism among anti-government forces.[2] Regardless, the Begin–Sadat Center has considered the militia to be still part of the FSA.[5]
Soon after its formation, the Euphrates Liberation Brigade fought the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) west of Manbij during the Battle of al-Bab, in course of which it was allegedly bombed by the Turkish Air Force on 20 November.[6] In April 2017, elements of the Euphrates Liberation Brigade were among a contingent of 200 MMC fighters that were sent to al-Thawrah in order to help the SDF to capture the city from ISIL.[7] Under the command of Ibrahim Semho, the militia also took part in the following battle for ISIL's self-proclaimed capital Raqqa.[7] Other parts of the unit remained at the frontlines west of Manbij, where at least one of their fighters was captured by Turkish-backed rebels in May 2017.[8]
Ideology
editThe Euphrates Liberation Brigade has been set up from the outset as ethnically inclusivist and pro-democratic. Its stated aim is to help establish a federal, democratic Syria.[1] The militia is also opposed to radical Islamism.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Firat News Agency (3 October 2016). "Euphrates Liberation Brigade announces its establishment". Kurdish Info. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017.
- ^ a b c Aris Roussinos (19 September 2017). "Inside The Fight To Retake Raqqa From ISIS". Vice. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ^ "Euphrates Liberation Brigade announces its establishment". ANF News. 2 October 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ Shawrash Khane (23 March 2017). "SDF: A future Syrian national army?". KurdishQuestion.com. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017.
- ^ Burak Bekdil (10 October 2018). "Turkey's Syrian Quagmire". Begin–Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ Genevieve Casagrande (22 November 2016). "The Road to ar-Raqqah: Background on the Syrian Democratic Forces" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ^ a b "MMC and SDF liberated 2 km2 of al-Tabqa". Hawar News Agency. 22 April 2017. Archived from the original on 26 May 2017.
- ^ "4 SDF/YPG captured in North Aleppo by the FSA, including at least one Liwa Tahrir al-Furat member". 17 May 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.