Youth of Sunna Forces

The Youth of Sunna Forces or Sunni Youth Forces,[5] formerly the Youth of Sunna Division and the Youth of Sunna Brigade, was a Syrian rebel group affiliated with the Free Syrian Army's Southern Front that was armed with U.S.-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles. It operated in the Daraa and Quneitra Governorates[4] until it surrendered and later joined ranks of Syrian Arab Army in 2018.

Youth of Sunna Forces
قوى شباب السنة
Quwaa Shabaab al-Sunnah
LeadersFirst faction:
  • Mohammad Tohme [1]
  • Bilal Droubi [1]
  • Capt. Ziad Abbas [2]

Second faction:

  • General commander Haitham Ahmad Odah[3][1]
  • Col. Nassim Abu Ezza [3]
Dates of operation2014-2018
HeadquartersBosra, Daraa Governorate
Active regionsDaraa Governorate
Quneitra Governorate[4]
Part of Free Syrian Army
Allies
Opponents Syrian Armed Forces  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Battles and warsSyrian Civil War

History

On 2 August 2016, fighters from the Youth of Sunna Forces raided the house of its deputy leader Mohammad Tohme and proceeded to beat his father and shot his brother. In response, the next day Tohme loyalists stormed its own headquarters in Bosra and deposed Ahmad al-Auda, the leader of the group. Auda and his followers fled and was subsequently placed under house arrest, while the military council handed over the group's command to Tohme and his deputy, Bilal Droubi. Some rebel supporters called this a coup d'etat while others declared their support and defended the toppling of corrupt leaders.[1]

On 22 August 2016, additional Southern Front factions joined the Youth of Sunna Division under the new leadership of Colonel Nassim Abu Ezza.[3] In 2018 after major rebel defeat in southern Syria, the group surrendered to the government forces and later joined ranks of SAA, supporting offensive against ISIS affiliate Jaish Al Walid in July 2018.

Groups
  • Hamza Division
  • Zaidi Cavalry Division
  • Houran Brigade
  • Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz Brigade
  • Spears of Alwali Brigade
  • Martyr Yousef the Great Brigade
  • Martyr Ahmed al-Khalaf Brigade
  • Zaidi Knights Brigade
  • Shield of Lajat Brigade
  • Abu Saddam Brigade
  • Martyr Ahmed al-Miqdad
  • Banner of the Martyrs of Bosra
  • Martyr Abdul Razzaq Azaaba Brigade
  • Martyr Zuhair al-Zoubi Brigade
  • Martyr Akhawsh Brigade
  • Descendants of Ali Brigade
  • Martyr Obeida Alissa Brigade
  • Medical Battalion
  • Mujahideen Houran
  • Inkhil Martyrs Brigade

War crimes
See also: Human rights violations during the Syrian Civil War § Free Syrian Army and other armed opposition fighters

On 28 February 2016, the diplomat for the town of Abtaa, Colonel Zidan Nsierat, was disappeared into a prison in Bosra held by the Youth of Sunna Brigade. Three days later, he was killed being tortured in the prison, and the group refused to hand over his corpse to his family. Similar incidents of deaths due to prisoner abuse by the Youth of Sunna was reported in the town.[6]

See also

References
  1. ""Military coup" in rebel-held Syria town". Now News. 4 August 2016.
  2. "21 military factions merge into "Shabab alSunna Forces"". Yalla Souriya. 22 August 2016.
  3. "21 military formations in Daraa unite under the name of the Youth of Sunna Forces". El-Dorar. 22 August 2016.
  4. "The Moderate Rebels: A Complete and Growing List of Vetted Groups". Democratic Revolution, Syrian Style. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  5. Tokmajyan, Armenak (14 July 2020). "How Southern Syria has been Transformed into a Regional Powder Keg". Carnegie Middle East Center. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  6. "Detainees Disappeared and Tortured by an Armed Opposition Faction in Daraa". Syrian Network for Human Rights. 12 October 2016.
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