Northern Democratic Brigade

The unit was formed in Idlib Governorate around 2013[8] and was originally operating as the Free Syrian Army's al-Qa'qa' Brigade, part of the Free Zawiya Brigade based in the Jabal Zawiya region of Idlib.[6][5] In the course of 2014, it first joined the Free Syria Brigade, and then switched to the Syrian Revolutionaries Front (SRF).[16][17] When the SRF moved closer to radical Islamist groups, it expelled the al-Qa'qa' Brigade,[5] whereupon the militia became part of the Syrian Salvation Front in May 2014.[16] At the time, the unit repeatedly clashed with jihadist factions in Aleppo and Idlib.[17] When the al-Nusra Front–SRF/Hazzm Movement conflict broke out, the al-Qa'qa' Brigade, then as part of the Syrian Salvation Front's Free Zawiya Union, was pushed out of the region by the al-Nusra Front, Jund al-Aqsa, and Ahrar al-Sham by November 2014,[16] and withdrew north to the YPG-held Afrin Canton.[5] According to the unit's spokesman, the Northern Democratic Brigade was officially organized by Absi Taha ("Abu Omar al-Idlibi") in early 2015. Its initial members were survivors of the Syrian Salvation Front.[15] However, it continued to be called "al-Qa'qa' Brigade" during the following months.[10]

In November 2015, the al-Qa'qa' Brigade was one of several FSA groups from the Idlib and Aleppo Governorates that officially joined the newly founded Syrian Democratic Forces,[10][18] and also became part of the Army of Revolutionaries.[7] Soon after its accession into the SDF and the Army of Revolutionaries, the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham accused the al-Qa'qa' Brigade of apostasy and launched an attack on the SDF in northern Aleppo.[19] Nevertheless, the unit managed to send some of its forces to the Kobanî and Jazira Cantons to fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), for example taking part in the offensive to capture al-Hawl.[20] By January 2016, one of the al-Qa'qa' Brigade's leaders, Abu Omar al-Idlibi, was appointed the military commander of the Army of Revolutionaries.[21] Nevertheless, the brigade eventually left the Army of Revolutionaries in February 2016.[22] By this point, the unit was generally known by its new name "Northern Democratic Brigade", and became an independent group within the SDF.[7]

Absi Taha, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Omar al-Idlibi, a commander in the Northern Democratic Brigade, in Raqqa, 6 March 2018. The group at the time redeployed fighters from Raqqa to Afrin.[23]

In August 2016, the Northern Democratic Brigade and other pro-SDF FSA groups condemned the Turkish military intervention in Syria and the international coalition for supporting it, accusing the Turkish-backed forces of committing "massacres" in villages near Jarabulus, and announced their support for the SDF's Jarabulus Military Council.[24] Soon after, the brigade participated in the Western al-Bab offensive against ISIL forces in northern Aleppo, and captured Harbul, Maarat Umm Hawsh, and several other villages in the area.[25] In October 2016, the group participated in the second Western al-Bab offensive, during which it helped to capture the village Tal Malid from the Turkish-backed rebel groups (TFSA).[12] In course of the following Battle of al-Bab, the Northern Democratic Brigade again fought TFSA groups, including at al-Samakia.[13]

In the final phase of the Battle of Aleppo in December 2016, the Northern Democratic Brigade called upon FSA groups encircled in the city to join the SDF, claiming that one local unit, the "Complete Military Battalion" had already joined it.[26] Since June 2017, the Northern Democratic Brigade also sent its fighters to take part in the SDF campaign to capture Raqqa from ISIL. Units from the group were stationed in Tabqa[27] while others participated in the Battle of Raqqa.[14][8]

On 2 July, the military commander of the unit declared that the Northern Democratic Brigade was ready to help "liberate all Syrian territory from the Turkish occupation" and called on TFSA groups to defect to the SDF. This statement was in response to alleged Turkish plans to invade Afrin Canton and the Shahba region.[28] He repeated this declaration four days later in course of a joint statement by several Arab SDF groups against Turkey.[29] After the Turkish Armed Forces intervened in Idlib Governorate against both Tahrir al-Sham as well as the YPG/YPJ, the Northern Democratic Brigade denounced this move as an attempt of the "Ottoman state" to besiege Aleppo and Afrin. In response, the group announced that it would attempt to form a military council with other FSA remnant factions in order to fight against both the Turkish Army as well as Tahrir al-Sham, affiliated with al-Qaeda, in Idlib.[4] In December 2017, a Northern Democratic Brigade commander also accused Turkey of sending ex-ISIL fighters into Idlib Governorate in order to expand its influence there.[2]

When Turkey began to prepare its military intervention in Afrin, a commander of the Northern Democratic Brigade declared that his men are "ready and are responding to any source of fire";[30] the militia consequently took part in the fighting against the Turkish-backed forces at the villages of Marnaz, Ain Dukna,[31] Shirwa and Mount Lilon in late January 2018.[32] On 6 March 2018, the Northern Democratic Brigade's contingents in eastern Syria, based in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor Governorate, announced that they would be transferred to Afrin.[23][33] After the Turkish-led forces captured Afrin, the Northern Democratic Brigade mostly relocated to Manbij, even joining the Manbij Military Council.[17]

By September 2018, 25 fighters of the militia completed a special forces training at the Zaqour al-Zawiya camp.[34] By early 2019, the Northern Democratic Brigade had rejoined the Deir ez-Zor campaign against ISIL, and was taking part in the Battle of Baghuz Fawqani.[35]

When Turkey launched an invasion of north-eastern Syria, the Northern Democratic Brigade announced that it would fight with the rest of the SDF against the Turkish-led forces.[36] The unit consequently fought at Ras al-Ayn and Tell Abyad. In late 2020, the group was among the forces defending Ayn Issa from the Turkish military and Syrian National Army.[15]