Last modified: 2024-05-18 by ian macdonald
Keywords: syria | hizbollah | fawj al-imam al-hujja |
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image located by William Garrison, 21 August 2016
See also:
Flag, Syria, Hizbollah, Fawj al-Imam al-Hujja, c. July 2016
source:
http://www.rubincenter.org/2016/08/syrian-hezbollah-militias-of-nubl-and-zahara/?utm_source=activetrail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=%20Rubin%20Newsletter,%20August%2017,%202016
Red flag with the Hizbollah emblem in white.
William Garrison, 21
August 2016
image located by William Garrison, 4 October 2016
Partisans of the Shi'a Fawj al-Imam al-Hujja militia north of Aleppo (c.
2016?)
Source: "Middle East Forum":
http://www.meforum.org/6307/research-islamic-state-iraq-syria
William Garrison,
4 October 2016
The original source is
http://www.aymennjawad.org/19110/syrian-hezbollah-militias-of-nubl-and-zahara
(published on August 15, 2016).
The Syrian Shi'i towns of Nubl and Zahara'
to the north of Aleppo city, like other Shi'i areas in Syria, have been
associated with support for the regime from the outset. In addition, given that
the religious affiliation (Twelver Shi'i Islam happens to coincide with that of
Iran and its Lebanese client Hezbollah that are leading backers of the regime,
Nubl and Zahara' have become one of many areas for the building of the concept
of a native Syrian Hezbollah and 'Islamic Resistance' (Al-Muqawama al-Wataniya
al-Aqa'idiya fi Souria).
At least two Syrian Hezbollah militias I have
documented elsewhere have recruited people from Nubl and Zahara'. One of these
militias is the National Ideological Resistance, established in 2009 (sources:
http://www.aymennjawad.org/15484/the-national-ideological-resistance-in-syria,
http://jihadintel.meforum.org/group/139/national-ideological-resistance-in-syria).
Its flag is seen here:
http://jihadintel.meforum.org/pics/symbols/large/369.jpg and also they use
this other variant:
http://jihadintel.meforum.org/pics/symbols/large/368.jpg. Their armed wing
is the Jaysh al-Imam al-Mahdi ('The Imam Mahdi Army')"
established in 2003.
The other Syrian Hezbollah militia of relevance here
is Al-Ridha Forces (Arabic: قوات الرضا Quwat al-Ridha) established in 2013 and
named for the eighth Shia Imam Ali al-Ridha. Its members belong to Syria's small
Twelver Shia community, mainly from the Homs region. Some sources refer to the
group more fully as “Imam Ali al-Ridha
Forces” (sources:
http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/quwat-al-ridha-syrian-hezbollah/,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quwat_al-Ridha). Its flag is seen here:
http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/AsadMuhammadHussein.jpg,
as well as here:
http://jihadintel.meforum.org/pics/symbols/large/742.jpg (source:
http://jihadintel.meforum.org/identifier/742/hezbollah-quwat-al-ridha/).
Besides the aforementioned Syrian Hezbollah groups that have recruited
people from Nubl and Zahara', there exist at least two formations that have a
similar image but are specifically intended to recruit from these two towns. The
older formation is called Junud al-Mahdi ('Soldiers of the Mahdi'), while the
more recent formation is called Fawj al-Imam al-Hujja ('Imam Hujja Regiment',
also a reference to the Mahdi)."
The Junud al-Mahdi was established (most
likely in 2012) (sources:
http://www.meforum.org/6204/syrian-hezbollah-militias-of-nubl-zahara and
http://www.aymennjawad.org/19110/syrian-hezbollah-militias-of-nubl-and-zahara).
Its flag is seen here:
http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/12645245_543391509160313_6572775579380921494_n.jpg.
This group should not be confused with KBM. This source (http://www.chechensinsyria.com/?p=25129#more-25129)
mentions that "Katibat Junud al-Makhdi (KJM) is the result of the merger of
Jamaat Bulgar (established in Afghanistan in 1996) and Jaish al-Shomal al-Islami.
They come from Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. Theie flag (according to the last
source) is seen here:
http://i1.wp.com/www.chechensinsyria.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/f8c87932-e205-4a19-916d-0a33f3a1aba1.jpg
and
http://i0.wp.com/www.chechensinsyria.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/81096750-661f-4af7-b841-079c65fc7971.jpg.
The Fawj al-Imam al-Hujja was established in 2016 (sources:
http://www.meforum.org/6204/syrian-hezbollah-militias-of-nubl-zahar and
http://www.meforum.org/6307/research-islamic-state-iraq-syria). Its flag is
seen here:
http://www.meforum.org/pics/large/2979.jpg and
http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/12508701_536746363158161_5205856799779819032_n-450x800.jpg
(source:
http://www.aymennjawad.org/19110/syrian-hezbollah-militias-of-nubl-and-zahara).
(Notice: This is the flag attached by Bill).
Hezbollah's involvement in
the war is evident, not only as a proxy war against Israel, but also providing
its own troops to battle as well as sponsoring and backing spinoff groups such
as Liwa Zainebiyoun (Followers of Zainab Brigade (لواء زينبیون, Liwa Zainebiyoun
or Liwa Zainabiyoon) established in 2014 (flag:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liwa_Zainebiyoun#/media/File:ZEINAB.jpg)
(source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liwa_Zainebiyoun) who are trained and funded
by the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps; the Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba
(HHN) established in 2013 (Arabic: حركة حزب الله النجباء, "Movement of the
Party of God's Nobles") (flag:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harakat_Hezbollah_al-Nujaba#/media/File:Nujabaimage.jpg)
(source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harakat_Hezbollah_al-Nujaba) who are also
trained and funded by the Quds Force, which is part of the IRGC; the Liwa
al-Imam al-Mahdi (The Imam Mahdi Brigade) established in 2014 (flag:
http://jihadintel.meforum.org/pics/symbols/large/768.jpg, source:
http://jihadintel.meforum.org/group/236/liwa-al-imam-al-mahdi and
http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/LiwaImamMahdiemblem-450x246.jpg
(source:
http://www.aymennjawad.org/19041/liwa-al-imam-al-mahdi-a-syrian-hezbollah-formation)
and its flag is also seen here:
http://www.meforum.org/pics/large/2869.jpg (source:
http://www.meforum.org/6134/liwa-imam-mahdi-syrian-hezbollah); and the Liwa
al-Sayyida Ruqayya (Sayyida Ruqayya Brigade, named for the Sayyida Ruqayya
shrine in Damascus, also known as The Ja'afari Force) established in 2012 (flag:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liwa_Abu_al-Fadhal_al-Abbas#/media/File:Flag_of_Liwa_Abu_al-Fadhal_al-Abbas_(Ceremonial).svg,
source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liwa_Abu_al-Fadhal_al-Abbas) and also seen
here:
http://najaf-news.com/thumbnail.php?file=909371_587420464609995_169991502_n_799003001.jpg&size=article_medium
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbollah_involvement_in_the_Syrian_Civil_War
Esteban Rivera, 4 October 2016
image located by William Garrison, 13 March 2020
Source:
https://www.joshualandis.com/blog/liwa-al-imam-al-mahdi-syrian-hezbollah-formation/
Citation: A flag of the "Liwa al-Imam al-Mahdi" (The Imam Mahdi
Brigade/Battalion): The Islamic Resistance in Syria. Note the classic extended
arm and arm associated foremost with Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary
Guard Corps. The quotation above the rifle reads: "Indeed the party of God are
the ones who overcome" (Qur'an 5:56), a play on 'Hezbollah' (The party of God).
c. July 2016
William Garrison, 13 March 2020
Liwa Zainebiyoun (Followers of Zainab Brigade): the existence dates back as far
as 2014.
Esteban Rivera, 26 October
2023
image located by William Garrison, 25 October 2023
"Islamic Resistance in Syria" (al-Muqawama al-Islamiyah fi Suriya) or as "Syrian
Hezbollah" (Hezbollah fi Suriya); c. 2015. There is a flag-pole sleeve at the
right (hoist).
Manzamat = organization, force, militia.
image located by William Garrison, 25 October 2023
Logo:
top-line slogan reads: "The Islamic Resistance in Syria." The center: "Ansar
Allah", flanked by two images of the Zulfiqar sword. On the bottom: "Oh you who
believe, be supporters of Allah/God" (a quotation from the Quran. "Manzamat
Ansar Allah" or "Partisans/Supporters of Allah/God Organization", is a Shiite
militia primarily based in al-Zubayr in the Basra, Iraq area (cf. "Liwa
al-Shahada). It identifies ideologically with the "Islamic Da'wah Party" and
"Tanzim al-Dakil." Operated in the Fallujah area in eastern Anbar, but known to
also operate in Syria. Making some confusion, there are other militias that use
"Ansar Allah" as part of their group's name.
Logo source:
https://jihadintel.meforum.org/identifier/734/manamat-ansar-allah-syria-deployment-emblem
"Manzamat Ansar Allah" Syria deployment emblem.
William Garrison, 25 October 2023
images located by Esteban Rivera, 26 October 2023
National Ideological Resistance, NIR. Their armed wing is the Jaysh al-Imam al-Mahdi ('The Imam Mahdi Army') established in 2003.
Sources:
https://jihadintel.meforum.org/group/139/national-ideological-resistance-in-syria,
https://jihadintel.meforum.org/group/139/national-ideological-resistance-in-syria
Esteban Rivera, 26 October 2023
images located by Esteban Rivera, 26 October 2023
Established in 2013 and named for the eighth Shia Imam Ali al-Ridha. Its members belong to Syria's small Twelver Shia community.
Source:
https://www.joshualandis.com/blog/quwat-al-ridha-syrian-hezbollah
Esteban Rivera, 26 October 2023
Junud al-Mahdi, JM. Established in 2012.
Esteban Rivera, 26 October 2023
images located by Esteban Rivera, 26 October 2023
Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas, LAFA (The Brigade of Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas, named after the nickname of Al-Abbas ibn Ali, son of Imam Ali). Established in 2012.
Esteban Rivera, 26 October 2023
image located by William Garrison, 31 October 2023
Supposedly, the bottom line reads: "Al-Ghaleban" or "Houses of Islamic
Resistance in Syria". As this militia's logo mimics that of Hezbollah, there is
probably some theological association between them. The official name of Hamas
is: "The Islamic Resistance Movement", so not surprising that a similar slogan
is found on this flag; c. 2015. There is a flag-pole sleeve at the right
(hoist).
William Garrison, 31 October 2023