Kurdish Islamic Front

Not to be confused with Kurdish Front.

The Kurdish Islamic Front (Kurdish: پێشەوەى كوردى ئیسلامی) was a small Kurdish Islamist armed group founded by Salahuddin al-Kurdi who also served as the group's spokesman and Abu Abdullah al-Kurdi in 2013, operating mainly in eastern Aleppo around al-Bab, the northern parts of the Raqqa Governorate, and the Hasakah Governorate.^[1] It fought during the Syrian Civil War and was opposed to the secular Syrian Kurdish government and groups, including those with common goals.^[6] The group dissolved and joined Ahrar al-Sham by the end of 2014.

Kurdish Islamic Front
پێشەوەى كوردى ئیسلامی
Leaders	Abu Abdullah al-Kurdi[1]
Dates of operation	22 November 2013–8 December 2014[2]
Ideology	Kurdish Islamism Salafism[3]
Size	Unknown
Part of	Syrian Islamic Front Islamic Front
Allies	Ahrar al-Sham Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (formerly)[3] Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades Al-Nusra Front[4] Army of Mujahideen Sham Legion[5]
Opponents	Syria People's Protection Units[3] Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant[5]
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Rojava–Islamist conflict
Succeeded by Ahrar al-Sham[2]

History

The group was established on 22 November 2013 by Salaheddin al-Kurdi and Abu Abdullah al-Kurdi, who was an Islamist activist from Afrin in the northwestern region of Syria's Aleppo Governorate, bordering Turkey, and at the time under YPG control. The group became part of the Islamic Front, which was a coalition of other groups which include Ahrar al-Sham, Jaysh al-Islam and others. During the group's existence, they fought alongside other Syrian rebel groups against the Syrian government and the AANES.^[7] Salahuddin al-Kurdi stated that the group's main aims were to overthrow the AANES and get rid of the multicultural, secular, and democratic rule and instead establish Sharia rule led by Kurdish Muslims. Abu Abdullah al-Kurdi also stated that the group was established with support from Ahrar al-Sham as a common enemy against YPG and to help diversify the Syrian opposition. The group ran Islamic schools for Kurdish children in Aleppo.^[1]

On 30 December 2013, the group's spokesman Salaheddin al-Kurdi said during an interview that Islamic rule would guarantee Kurdish rights and that defending Syria's Kurdish population was the main goal of the group, also saying that their rival Kurdish groups in Syria did not truly care for Kurdish interests. He also explained that the group has a presence across Kurdish populated areas of northern Syria spanning from al-Bab to Qamishli and Tell Abyad that they had taken from YPG.^[8] In December 2014, the Kurdish Islamic Front fully merged with Ahrar al-Sham.^[2]

See also

• List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War

References

1. "The Politics of the Islamic Front, Part 5: The Kurds". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
2. "Islamist Mergers in Syria: Ahrar al-Sham Swallows Suqour al-Sham". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
3. Sinjab, Lina (17 October 2013). "Syria crisis: Guide to armed and political opposition". BBC. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
4. "Syrian Kurds' struggle for autonomy threatens rebel effort to oust Assad". New York Times. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
5. "Freedom, Human Rights, Rule of Law: The Goals and Guiding Principles of the Islamic Front and Its Allies". Democratic Revolution, Syrian Style. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
6. "A tapestry of war". Al-Ahram Weekly. 10 April 2014. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
7. "Who is the Kurdish Islamic Front?". Al Bawaba. 2015-08-13. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
8. "Spokesman of Kurdish Islamic Front: Islamic rule guarantees Kurdish rights in Syria". ARA News. 2013-12-30. Archived from the original on 2019-08-02. Retrieved 2020-06-09.