Northern Sun Battalion
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The Northern Sun Battalion was a Free Syrian Army unit operating mainly in Aleppo. Founded in April 2014 by Brigadier General Mohammed Hammou, an SAA defector, it was made up mostly of Arabs and Arabized Kurds, plus some non-Arabized Kurds and a few Turkmen. The new formation immediately joined the recently-created Dawn of Freedom Brigades and soon became the most prominent unit within that group. The Northern Sun Battalion was known for its close cooperation with the YPG from the beginning. It was a founding member of the Euphrates Volcano operations room and was the most notable FSA group to take part in the defense of Kobanî during the Islamic State's siege. During this time, the group's leading commander, Faisal "Abu Layla" Saadoun, made a name for himself with his bravery. Abu Layla, who was half-Kurd, half-Arab, had been fighting with the FSA since late 2012, originally as an officer in Liwa Ahrar Souriya and later in Jabhat al-Akrad. At first he fought alongside radical groups like the al-Nusra Front, valuing the jihadis' grit and dedication, but he soon grew wary of their cruelty and intolerance. By the time he helped create the Northern Sun Battalion with Brig. Gen. Hammoul, Abu Layla was convinced that sectarian Islamism was incompatible with the Syrian revolution. During the siege of Kobanî, he became a symbol of FSA-YPG (and Arab-Kurdish) cooperation. He was wounded seven times, a feat which earned him the title "Lion of Kobanî". After the liberation of that town and its countryside, he led the Northern Sun Battalion in other anti-IS offenses in eastern Aleppo as well as northern Raqqa and southern al-Hasakah. In June 2016, Euphrates Volcano launched a campaign to liberate Manbij, Abu Layla's hometown. The Northern Sun commander was killed in action shortly after the offensive began. Several thousand mourners turned up to his funeral, waving the flags of Free Syria, Rojava, and Kurdistan. Dozens of representatives from the Syrian Democratic Council, Euphrates Volcano, and even non-EV FSA groups attended or sent messages of condolence. Although he did not live to see his hometown freed from IS (accomplished in August), Abu Layla had succeeded not only in strengthening a vulnerable Rojava but also in building a bridge between the mainstream rebels and the PYD/YPG-led Kurdish administration. The Northern Sun Battalion would go on to play a leading role in organizing cooperation between Euphrates Volcano and non-EV rebels in Aleppo, eventually culminating in the creation of the Free Syrian Coalition.