Ansar al-Sharia (Syria)

Ansar al-Sharia
أنصار الشريعة
Dates of operation	2 July 2015[1]–Late 2015/early 2016 (defunct)
Headquarters	Aleppo
Active regions	Aleppo Governorate, Syria
Ideology	Sunni Islamism Salafist jihadism (some groups)
Allies	Fatah Halab[2]
Opponents	Syrian Armed Forces Syrian Army Syrian Air Force National Defence Forces Syrian Democratic Forces[2] People's Protection Units Women's Protection Units Army of Revolutionaries
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Battle of Aleppo[3] Aleppo offensive (July 2015)

Ansar al-Sharia (Arabic: أنصار الشريعة, lit. 'Partisans of Islamic Law') was a joint operations room of Sunni Islamist and Salafi jihadist rebel factions that operate in Aleppo, Syria. Its stated aim is seizing the city of Aleppo from the Syrian government in order to administer the city under Sharia law on the basis of a joint charter.^[4]

In an October 2015 publication, the Washington D.C.–based Institute for the Study of War considered Ansar al-Sharia as one of the "powerbrokers" in Aleppo Governorate, being primarily "anti-regime" but not necessarily "anti-ISIS".^[4]

As of October 2015^[update], the following groups participate in the operations room:^[5]

• Al-Nusra Front
• Mujahideen of Islam Movement
• Supporters of the Caliphate Brigade
• Ahrar ash-Sham
• 1st Regiment
• Ansar al-Din Front
• Dawn of the Caliphate Brigades
• Sultan Murad Brigade^[6][7]
• Saraya al-Mee’ad
• Companions Battalion
• Soldiers of God Battalion

• Fatah Halab
• List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War

• Cafarella, Jennifer; Casagrande, Genevieve (7 October 2015). "Syrian Opposition Guide" (PDF). Backgrounder. Institute for the Study of War.

• Ansar al-Sharia's YouTube Channel