SUMMARY

The Northern Storm Brigade was formed in Azaz town as a secular FSA-affiliated rebel group in mid-2011. It captured Azaz, a town in northern Aleppo right across the border from the Turkish city of Kilis, in July 2012. Strategically, this area was very important because of the Bab al-Salam border crossing, one of the main conduits for goods and people flowing into Syria. The group weakened after the death of its leader Amar al-Dadikhi, aka “Abu Ibrahim”, during the siege of Menagh airbase in mid-2013. ISIS attacked and captured Azaz during September-October 2013. On March 2 2014, the group merged into the Islamic Front as part of the Tawhid Brigade.