13th Division
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The 13th Division was a Free Syrian Army group based in the town of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man in Idlib governorate. Originally founded as the Slaves of Mercy Brigade in March 2012, it expanded and renamed in 2013. Its leader was Lt. Col. Ahmad al-Saud, a defector from the Syrian Arab Army. The group advocated for a civil state and took a strong stance against religious sectarianism, putting it at odds with the fundamentalist Islamists and jihadis that came to dominate northwestern Syria by 2015. It was also consistently popular with the local population. These qualities made the 13th Division one of the first FSA brigades to be entrusted with TOW missiles by the CIA. Unfortunately, this also meant that the group was a prime target in the eyes of al-Nusra. In October 2014, one month after the creation of the 5th Corps, it clashed briefly with Nusra during the latter's crackdown on the Syria Revolutionaries Front and the Hazzm Movement. The Division's prestige and presence on the front lines against the regime allowed it to escape the fate of the SRF, but in March 2016 Nusra attacked and captured Ma'arrat al-Nu'man. The jihadi group declared that the 13th Division had been disbanded and made it known that it would not tolerate displays of "decadent nationalism and secularism". The citizens of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, long considered a stronghold of support for the original ideals of the revolution, protested continually, even after Nusra began arresting dissidents and firing into crowds. Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Saud and his fighters remained at large in the countryside, and in DATE TBD they recaptured the town with the help of the other 5th Corps brigades and the sympathetic town residents. The 13th Division subsequently became one of the leading FSA brigades in the fight against Nusra's Islamic Emirate.