Publication

This paper takes a close look at four jihadist groups fighting in the Syrian Civil War, all of which are Sunni and rural in character and share a broad animosity toward the so-called Islamic State (IS). (The groups are the Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham, Jaish al-Islam, and Jaish al-Fatah.) More specifically, the paper's author examines 1) how the four groups have grown in power and stature throughout the war; 2) the activities of the Jaish al-Islam group, which is led by Saudi cleric Zahran Alloush; 3) the noteworthy resilience of the Ahrar al-Sham group; 4) the limits of cooperation between the above groups; and 5) the internal feuds of the Nusra Front, which have impacted the group’s ability to govern areas supposedly under its control.