Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham

Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham
Participant in the Syrian Civil War
Emblem of Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib
Active	2013 – present
Ideology	Vilayat-e Faqih Anti-Americanism Khomeinism Muqtada al-Sadr Thought
Groups	Kata'ib Assad Allah al-Ghalib(former Iraqi branch; current relation with LAAG dubious)
Leaders	Secretary-General Sheikh Abdallah al-Shaibani (overall leader) Sayyid Abu Ghayth al-Hassani (leader of Kata'ib Assad Allah al-Ghalib)
Area of operations	Syria Rif Dimashq Governorate Latakia Governorate  Iraq
Part of	Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas network
Allies	Syrian Armed Forces Suqur al-Sahara Iran Badr Organization Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada Liwa Dhulfiqar Liwa al-Imam al-Hussein
Opponents	Free Syrian Army Islamic Front Al-Nusra Front Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Rif Dimashq Governorate campaign Rif Dimashq offensive (March–August 2013) Rif Dimashq offensive (September–November 2013) Battle of Al-Malihah Rif Dimashq offensive (April–May 2016) Rif Dimashq offensive (June–October 2016) Aleppo offensive (October–December 2015) 2015–16 Latakia offensive Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)

 Syria

Syrian Armed Forces

The Conquering Lion of God Forces in Iraq and Syria (Arabic: Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham, LAAG for short) is a Shia Muslim militant group operating throughout Syria and Iraq. It is named after the nickname of Imam Ali.

Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib was originally set up in late 2013 as part of the Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas network, ostensibly to work with other Shia militias to protect the Sayyidah Zaynab shrine, and was initially advised by Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq veterans. Although the group has Syrian members, LAAG primarily recruits Iraqi Shiites since its formation and has built an extensive recruitment network within Iraq.

Since mid-August 2013, LAAG began to actively fight for the Syrian government against various Syrian opposition groups. In this capacity, it originally operated almost exclusively in the Rif Dimashq Governorate, notably participating in the Rif Dimashq offensive (March–August 2013) and the Battle of Al-Malihah. This changed after June 2014, when ISIL conquered Mosul, as LAAG set up an Iraq branch, named "Kata'ib Assad Allah al-Ghalib" and led by Sayyid Abu Ghayth al- Hassani. Since then, however, strong differences have emerged between LAAG and Kata'ib Assad Allah al-Ghalib, with Sheikh Abdallah al-Shaibani claiming that the latter has illegitimately appropriated his group's name and branding, while Kata'ib Assad Allah al-Ghalib no longer claims to be part of LAAG. Despite that, LAAG still had an active Iraqi branch by early 2016.