The Rouse the Believers Operations Room (Arabic: غرفة عمليات وحرض المؤمنين, romanized: Ghurfat Eamaliat wa-Harid al-Mu'minin) (also commonly translated as the And Incite the Believers Operations Room)[1] was a coalition of Salafist jihadist insurgent groups in northwestern Syria during the Syrian civil war.
| Rouse the Believers[1] | |
|---|---|
| Arabic: غرفة عمليات وحرض المؤمنين, romanized: Ghurfat Eamaliat wa-Harid al-Mu'minin | |
Logo of the alliance | |
| Dates of operation | October 2018 – 12 June 2020[2] |
| Group(s) |  Ansar al-Tawhid (until 3 May 2020)[3] Guardians of Religion Organization Ansar al-Din Front Ansar al-Islam |
| Active regions | Northwestern Syria |
| Ideology | Salafi jihadism |
| Allies |  Turkistan Islamic Party Jaysh al-Izza |
| Opponents |  Syrian Arab Armed Forces[4] Iran Hezbollah Russia United States[7] |
| Battles and wars | Syrian civil war |
Composition
editThe coalition included Hurras al-Din, Ansar al-Din Front, and Ansar al-Islam. All of the individual organizations in the group have rejected the Sochi agreement.[9] Ansar al-Tawhid left the group on 3 May 2020.[3]
History
editOn 24 October 2018, the operation room shelled multiple Syrian military positions in the town of Jurin in the Hama Governorate with SPG-9 recoilless guns. In response, the Syrian Army shelled a town controlled by the operation room 10 km north of Jurin.[citation needed]
On 28 October 2018, the group published a video near al-Zahraa in the Aleppo Governorate of a sniping operation being carried out against pro-government militiamen.[5]
On 27 November 2018, a video was released by the coalition showing fighters attacking government positions and gunning down pro-government militiamen in their quarters and taking their weapons.[10]
On 27 August 2019, Rouse the Believers conducted a counter-offensive in southern Idlib targeting the Syrian government's positions near the town of Atshan.[11] The Syrian Army reported repelling the attack shortly thereafter.[12] Rebel forces reported taking over the villages of al-Salloumiyah, Sham al-Hawa, Tell Maraq and Al-Jaduiyah later in the day.[13] SOHR confirmed that al-Sullaumiyah and Abu Omar had been recaptured by opposition forces and that some advances were made on Sham al-Hawa, while clashes over the rest of the villages continued.[14] Later on the same day, SOHR reported that the rebel groups had withdrawn from the positions where they had taken earlier in the southeastern countryside of Idlib.[15]
On 31 August 2019, the U.S. carried out a series of airstrikes on a Rouse the Believers meeting between Kafriya and Maarrat Misrin, killing over 40 Hurras al-Din militants, including several leaders.[7][16]
Ansar al-Tawhid had a falling-out with Hurras al-Din and left the Rouse the Believers Operations Room in May 2020.[3] On 12 June 2020, the operations rooms' remaining members reorganized themselves into a new operations room called "So Be Steadfast", which included two additional Salafi jihadist groups led by former HTS commanders, namely the al-Muqatileen al-Ansar Brigade and al-Jihad Coordination Group.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "As I'd noted 36hrs ago, AQ-linked irreconcilables in NW #Syria are uniting behind a strategy for slow escalation. Huras al-Din, Ansar al-Tawhid, Ansar al-Islam & Ansar al-Din have formed the "Rouse the Believers" operations room & have conducted several minor mortar attacks". 16 October 2018. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2018 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (12 June 2020). "New Jihadist Operations Room in Northwest Syria: 'So Be Steadfast'". Archived from the original on 21 December 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ a b c Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (10 June 2020). "Why Ansar al-Tawheed Ended its Alliance with Hurras al-Din". Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Jihadi Coalition Involving Pro-AQ Hurras al-Deen Claims Attacks on Syrian Military Positions in Hama". SITE Intelligence Group. 15 October 2018. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
- ^ a b "New video message from the 'Incite the Believers' Operations Room: "Sniping Two Individuals From the Militias of the Nuṣayrī Regime Upon the Front of al-Zahrā' Association in Rural Aleppo"". Jihadology. 28 October 2018. Archived from the original on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ Thomas Joscelyn (19 November 2018). "Al Qaeda-linked operations room continues to attack Assad regime". Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- ^ a b c "At least 40 of the jihadi groups were killed after an unidentified targeting of headquarters and meeting of "Wa Harred al-Mu'min" operation room in Idlib countryside". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 31 August 2019. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ "أربعة تشكيلات "جهادية" ترفض اتفاق إدلب وتحاول عرقلته.. تعرف إليها". Enab Baladi. 15 October 2018. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- ^ "Military groups calling themselves "the finest factions of the Levant" form joint operations room". Syria Call. 15 October 2018. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ Zelin, Aaron Y. (27 November 2018). "New video message from the 'Incite the Believers' Operations Room: "Battle of 'And Scouring to the Raid at Dawn'"". Jihadology. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ "Breaking: Jihadist rebels launch big offensive in southern Idlib". Al-Masdar News. 27 August 2019. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "Jihadist offensive in southern Idlib ends in failure after short battle". Al-Masdar News. 27 August 2019. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "خريطة تظهر تقدم المعارضة في محور جديد شرق إدلب". Qasioun News (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "The violent clashes continue east Khan Shaykhun city and the factions and jihadi groups advance at the expense of the regime forces, and more casualties raise the death toll to 60 of both parties". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 27 August 2019. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "Warplanes of the regime and the Russians resume the heavy aerial bombardment on Maarrat al-Nu'man countryside after the factions and Jihadis withdrew from the areas they advanced to east of Khan Shaykhun". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 27 August 2019. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "Syria war: US missile strike on 'al-Qaeda leaders' in Idlib". BBC. 31 August 2019. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
