Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade
| Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade | |
|---|---|
|
لواء شهداء اليرموك Liwa Shuhada al-Yarmouk Participant in the Syrian Civil War |
|
 Official logo of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade  Brigade Flag |
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| Active | August 2012 – 21 May 2016 |
| Leaders | Abu Abdullah al-Madani(5 March 2016–present) Abu Obeida Qahtan(15 November 2015–5 March 2016) Muhammad al-Baridi †(2012–15 November 2015) |
| Headquarters | Jamla |
| Strength | ≈ 600-1,000 |
| Part of |
 Islamic State (allegedly) |
| Became | Khalid ibn al-Walid Army |
| Allies |
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| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | |
The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade (Arabic: لواء شهداء اليرموك) was a rebel group in southern Syria during the Syrian Civil War. For part of its existence it was connected to the Islamic State. It fought against several Syrian Opposition groups for dominance in the Yarmouk Basin. On 21 May 2016, it merged with other Islamist groups into the Khalid ibn al-Walid Army.
The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade was originally set up in 2012, largely based on "local and familial ties, rather than ideology". At this stage connected to mainstream Syrian rebel bodies like the Supreme Military Council and Southern Front, the brigade became increasingly isolated from other groups, owing to accusations that it was affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The group gained attention when it abducted 21 Filipino UN soldiers in early March 2013, releasing them on 10 March 2013. The group justified the kidnapping by claiming that "UN is silent about the crimes of the regime against the Syrian people" and that it provided "aid to the criminal regime forces". After much criticsm, however, the brigade changed its position, saying that it had attempted to protect the UN peacekeepers from the "barbaric bombing that Assad’s criminal gangs are launching against the western villages of Deraa province and all of Syria."
At this time, the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade still cooperated with other rebel groups in the war against the government: In course of the 2013 Daraa offensive, the brigade aided the al-Nusra Front in attacking the 38th Division air defence base, and fought with other opposition groups during the capture of several towns south of Nawa. It also participated in a major, yet eventually unsuccessful offensive to capture Nawa itself from the government in July 2013. It continued to work together with other rebel groups throughout early 2014, stating at the time that its aim was to "fight so that Syrian men and women may choose a free and democratic system that establishes a prosperous state respecting the aspirations of Syrians in the freedom and dignity for which they have fought." By July 2014, the brigade began to clash with other rebel groups such as the Islamic Muthanna Movement, first expressing some kind of affinity to the Islamic State and adopted more Islamic symbols and insignia. Nevertheless, the groups officially remained part of the Southern Front and took part in the First Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin.
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