19th Division (Syrian rebel group)
| 19th Division | |
|---|---|
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الفرقة 19 Participant in the Syrian Civil War |
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| Active |
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| Ideology | Sunni Islamism |
| Groups |
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| Leaders | Lt. Col. Muhammad Abdel Qader Bakur (nom de guerre: "Abu Bakr") |
| Area of operations | Aleppo Governorate |
| Part of | Army of Mujahideen |
| Allies |
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| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | |
The 19th Division (Arabic: الفرقة 19) was a Syrian rebel group which fought in the Syrian Civil War. The group was created in June 2013 in the western countryside of the Aleppo Governorate as a part of a foreign-funded project to unify local Free Syrian Army-affiliated factions into bigger factions.
In September 2012, the Ansar Brigade (Arabic: لواء الانصار, Liwa al-Ansar) was formed as part of the Mutasim Billah Brigades in the western Aleppo countryside. The group was known for producing improvised fighting vehicles. In June 2013, the group joined several other rebel groups in the area and formed the 19th Division.
In late June 2013, a rebel court in Darat Izza arrested a media activist after he criticized Lt. Col. Muhammad Bakur, commander of the Ansar Brigade of the 19th Division. The arrest was condemned by an opposition court in Atarib, which demanded the Darat Izza court to release him.
On 22 July 2013, the Supporters of the Caliphate Brigade, part of the 19th Division, along with al-Qaeda's al-Nusra Front, took part in a massacre of 51 Syrian Army soldiers in Khan al-Asal.
On 25 September 2013, the 19th Division signed a statement, along with 12 other Syrian rebel groups, in which it rejected any foreign-based opposition group, including the Syrian National Council.
On 3 June 2014, the Army of Mujahideen announced the expulsion of 19th Division's Ansar Brigade and its leader, Lt. Col. Muhammad Bakur, accusing them of theft and kidnapping.
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