16th Division (Syrian rebel group)
| 16th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
|
الفرقة 16 مشاة Participant in the Syrian Civil War |
|
| Active | 19 September 2013—25 July 2016 |
| Ideology | Islamic democracy |
| Groups |
|
| Leaders | |
| Headquarters | Khalidiya District, Aleppo, Syria |
| Area of operations | Aleppo Governorate, Syria |
| Size | +1,600 (own claim in 2014) |
| Part of | |
| Allies | |
| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | |
The 16th Infantry Division (Arabic: الفرقة 16 مشاة) was a Syrian rebel group affiliated with the Free Syrian Army. The group was active mainly in the city Aleppo and its surroundings.
The 16th Division was formed on 19 September 2013 as a merger of 10 rebel groups in the city of Aleppo. One of its subgroups, the Badr Martyrs' Brigade, was infamous for robbery, kidnapping, extortion, and most notably mass looting of factories in Aleppo districts and shipping truckloads of looted items to Turkey.
In October 2013, the 16th Division's territory in northern Aleppo was overran and one of its leadesr, Hasan Jazara, was captured and executed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. During the ISIL offensive, ISIL fighters captured a 16th Division base and found a large quantity of gold, cash in the form of United States dollars, hashish, and gas cylinders used in the production of hell cannons used by the group. In November 2013, in response to the "aggression" on their "brothers" of ISIL by the 16th Division, the al-Aqsa Brigade defected from the 16th Division.
In January 2015, the al-Nusra Front captured 11 fighters from the 16th Division in Aleppo during the former's conflict with the Hazzm Movement. In response, the 16th Division called for the unconditional release of its fighters.
...
Wikipedia