Suqour al-Sham Brigade

Suqour al-Sham Brigade لواء صقور الشام
Participant in the Syrian Civil War
Logo of the Islamic Front used by Suqour al-Sham
Active	September 2011—22 March 2015 3 September 2016—26 January 2017
Ideology	Sunni Islamism Salafism
Leaders	Ahmed Abu Issa Abu Hussein al-Dik † (Senior commander)
Headquarters	Sarjeh, Idlib Governorate, Syria
Area of operations	Idlib Governorate, Syria Aleppo Governorate, Syria
Strength	9,000–10,000(2013) 400(December 2014)
Part of	Islamic Front (2013–2015) Ahrar al-Sham (2015-2016. 2017 - present) Free Syrian Army (2011-2013) Syrian Islamic Liberation Front (2012-2013) Syrian Revolutionary Command Council (2014-2015) Army of Conquest (2015-present)
Originated as	Suqour al-Sham Battalion
Became	Ahrar ash-Sham
Allies	Ahrar ash-Sham Free Syrian Army Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union Alwiya al-Furqan Sham Legion
Opponents	Syrian Armed Forces Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Jund al-Aqsa (since October 2016) Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (since January 2017) Liwa al-Haqq (since January 2017) Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement (since January 2017)
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Battle of Aleppo Idlib clashes Syrian opposition-Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant conflict Al-Nusra Front–Syria Revolutionaries Front conflict

9,000–10,000(2013)

Islamic Front (2013–2015)

Syrian Civil War

The Suqour al-Sham Brigade (Arabic: لواء صقور الشام‎‎, English: Falcons of the Levant Brigade), also known as the Sham Falcons Brigade, is an armed rebel organisation formed by Ahmed Abu Issa early in the Syrian Civil War to fight against the Syrian Government. It was a member of the Islamic Front and a former unit of the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian Islamic Liberation Front. They have a history of coordinating with Ahrar al-Sham and the Al-Nusra Front (a group which has re-branded itself Jabhat Fateh al-Sham). In March 2015, the Suqour al-Sham Brigade merged with Ahrar ash-Sham, but left Ahrar al-Sham in September 2016. Also in September 2016 they joined the Army of Conquest which Ahrar al-Sham is also a member. On 25 January 2017 Suqour rejoined Ahrar.

Suqour al-Sham’s ideology has been described by Asher Berman of the Institute for the Study of War as Islamist but not having a global jihadist outlook. In a sermon delivered in a mosque in April 2012, Abu Issa said Muslims had lost their honor because they had abandoned jihad, replacing aspirations for martyrdom with a fear of death. However, in an interview in June 2012 Issa described his vision for a post-Assad Syria as a moderate Islamic state “without imposing it on society.”