Farouq Battalions
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The Farouq Battalions were a prominent Free Syrian Army unit based in Homs governorate. Syrian Arab Army defector Lt. Abdul Razaq Tlass formed and led the group, then known as the Farouq Battalion of the wider Khalid bin al-Walid Brigade, in October 2011. Tlass' fighters proved to be some of the young rebellion's fiercest, continually defending Homs' Baba Amr neighborhood from government offenses. In early 2012 the government stepped up its bombing campaign, resulting in the reconquest of most of Homs city and the death of Tlass. The Farouq Battalion, now based in the town of al-Rastan, began expanding not only across the Homs countryside but also into other areas of the country. By mid-2012 it had left the Khalid bin al-Walid Brigade and renamed to the Farouq Battalions. The group helped to form the Syrian Islamic Liberation Front in September but rejoined the FSA when the SILF folded into the Islamic Front in November 2013.
One of the oldest Syrian rebel groups, the Farouq Battalions were among the first to push the rebellion towards an overtly Islamist position, and much of its activity in Homs during the first half of the war reflected the deepening sectarianism in that theater. Nevertheless, the group (particularly its northern affiliates) opposed the radical jihadism espoused by al-Nusra and ISIS and came into conflict with those organizations frequently. Some of its affiliates were also known for corruption, earning them few friends among other groups. Splits from Farouq became increasingly common. By 2014, the Farouq Battalions were reduced to a small presence in the al-Rastan pocket, besieged by the government. These fighters and the other groups present in al-Rastan managed to hold out until DATE TBD, when FINISH THISSSSSSSS