101st Infantry Division
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The 101st Infantry Division was a Free Syrian Army unit based primarily in Idlib. Its predecessor was the Guardians of the Revolution Gathering, a secular group formed in 2012 that was notable for including religious minorities in leadership positions. The Guardians joined with other groups in June 2013 to form the 33rd Infantry Division, which soon experienced tensions with hardline Islamists. Ahrar al-Sham tried to expel the group from the frontlines, relenting only after pressure from other FSA brigades. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria inflicted several casualties and conquered the town of al-Dana after the 33rd Infantry tried to protect anti-Daesh protesters in the town. In early 2014, as the rebel war with ISIS began in earnest, the Division received a boost in the form of a new leader: Col. Hassan Hamada. This former Syrian Arab Air Force fighter pilot had defected to Jordan in 2012, famously bringing his MiG-21 with him. Hamada returned to Syria in March 2014, albeit without his jet, and took control of the 33rd Infantry Division. The group absorbed some smaller groups and renamed to the 101st Infantry Division. As a well-established group with anti-sectarian credentials, the 101st was one of the first FSA brigades to receive TOWs from the CIA, and in September it helped form the 5th Corps. Soon after, some of its units came under attack by al-Nusra during the latter's offensive against the Syria Revolutionaries Front and the Hazzm Movement. Along with the other 5th Corps units, the 101st Infantry Division was weakened by Nusra's consolidation of power in Idlib, but it remained active underground and in the sparse countryside, undermining Nusra's Islamic Emirate. Hamada's persona, as well as the Division's continued activity in Aleppo and Hama, allowed the group to emerge from the Emirate's collapse in DATE TBD and reclaim its place as one of the most prominent and diverse FSA units.