SUMMARY
Jabhat al-Akrad (Kurdish Front) was a rebel group and participant in the Syrian Civil War as a part of the Syrian insurgents. The group was created on 22 January 2013 in Ar Raqqah Governorate by Kurdish and Arab defectors from the Syrian army, initially as part of the rebel group Liwa Ahrar Souriya, though it left that group and became an independent actor in on 20 February 2013. Jabhat al-Akrad was allied with PYD since its formation in 2013, which led to its expulsion from FSA on the 15 August 2013 amid accusations of it being a PYD affiliate. Jabhat al-Akrad fought for a democratic and pluralistic Syria and to defend all Kurds outside Syrian Kurdistan as well as "all those who demand help". Their operations took place in the whole Syrian territory, in contrast to their ally, the also mainly Kurdish PYD, which only fought in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) and its surroundings; however, their main area of operation was amongst the Kurdish populated areas in northern Aleppo and Raqqah.
During 2013, Jabhat al-Akrad fought against IS and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (at the time called Jabhat al-Nusra) in Tall Abyad in Raqqah (see Jabhat al-Akrad, PYD - IS, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham) and Safirah in Aleppo (see Jabhat al-Akrad - IS, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham). It participated in the major anti-IS offensive that begun in January 2014, and fought IS in a variety of constellations, including IS - Islamic Front, Jabhat al-Akrad, Liwa Thuwar ar-Raqqa, Dawn of Freedom Brigades, Jabhat al-Akrad, Northern Storm Brigade - IS and Dawn of Freedom Brigades, Euphrates Islamic Liberation Front, Islamic Front, Jabhat al-Akrad, Liwa Thuwar ar-Raqqa - IS.
On 3 May 2015, Jabhat al-Akrad together with the SRF and the main component of the Dawn of Freedom Brigades formed the coalition Jaysh al-Thuwar, which fought as part of the Euphrates Volcano operations room. On this date, Jabhat al-Akrad thus ceased to exist as an independent organization. Jaysh al-Thuwar soon thereafter, in October, joined PYD-led SDF coalition.
The first leader of Jabhat al-Akrad was Abu Layla, previously commander in FSA, who lead the group until 2014 and later served as commander in SDF until his death in 2016. He was succeeded by Hajji Ahmed Kurdi.
Jabhat al-Akrad has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organized violence. It is also considered part of the Syrian insurgents active in the intrastate and one-sided categories of UCDP organized violence.
Dawn of Freedom Brigades (Tajamu Alwiya Fajr al-Hurriya) originated as the Descendants of the Messengers Brigade (or Descendants of the Missionaries, Liwa Ahfad al Mursaleen), an offshoot of Ghuraba al-Sham, and included the Northern Sun Battalion and the Euphrates Knights Brigade. It changed its name to Dawn of Freedom Brigades in March of 2014.
The group was created and led by Nizar al-Khatib "Abu Laith" in July 2012. From the start of the anti-IS offensive at the start of 2014, it was actively engaged in fighting IS as part of various coalitions in northern Aleppo and Raqqah governorates (see Dawn of Freedom Brigades, Euphrates Islamic Liberation Front, Islamic Front, Jabhat al-Akrad, Liwa Thuwar ar-Raqqa – IS, Dawn of Freedom Brigades, Jabhat al-Akrad, Northern Storm Brigade – IS and Dawn of Freedom Brigades, Baz al-Islamiya, Islamic Front, Jabhat al-Akrad, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, Liwa al-Sultan Murad, Majd al-Sham - IS). After being forced to seek refuge in Kurdish-controlled areas, it begun fighting as part of the PYD-led operations room Euphrates Volcano in September 2014. Dawn of Freedom Brigades became defunct in May 2015 when the Northern Sun Battalion left the group and formed Jaysh al-Thuwar.
Dawn of Freedom Brigades has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organized violence. It is also considered part of the Syrian insurgents active in the intrastate and one-sided categories of UCDP organized violence.
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.
