Liwa Ahrar al-Zawiya
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Liwa Ahrar al-Zawiya | ||||||||||
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Liwa Ahrar al-Zawiya was a small Free Syrian Army unit based in the Mt. Zawiya region of central Idlib governorate. It was formed in early 2012 by a civilian going by the nom de guerre Abu Sayd. The group never achieved the prominence of other groups from the area, such as the Martyrs of Mount Zawiya Battalion (which became the Syrian Martyrs' Brigades) or the Falcons of Mount Zawiya Brigade (which became the Mountain Hawks Brigade). Nevertheless, it remained well-integrated with the community on the mountain. The group was close to the multi-confessional National Unity Battalions and fought alongside the latter when it clashed with the jihadist Al-Nusra Front. Liwa Ahrar al-Zawiya was one of the founding members of the Syria Revolutionaries Front in December 2013 but left it in May 2014, accusing the SRF of corruption. As a result of this, as well as the brigade's good relationship with civilians in its areas, Ahrar al-Zawiya was able to escape the fate of the SRF, which was crushed by al-Nusra in late 2014. The bulk of the unit remained in place, keeping a low profile until popular dissatisfaction with al-Nusra grew enough to allow more open challenges to the jihadist group's power. In January 2016 Liwa Ahrar al-Zawiya helped to form the Idlib Liberation Front alongside other former SRF groups. The Mt. Zawiya region then became a hotbed of opposition to al-Nusra (and subsequently the Nusra-led Islamic Emirate of the Levant). The brigade also played a minor role in bringing the mainstream rebellion into cooperation with the YPG-led forces through its contacts with its the Northern Democratic Brigade, which had split from it in 2013.