SUMMARY

This dyad consisted of several of the largest alliances in Syria, namely the Islamic Front, the Mujahideen Army and SRF, which in January 2014 began cooperating in an offensive against IS. It is one of several coalitions which simultaneously attacked IS across Syria. This coalition primarily fought in Aleppo and Idlib governorates, where it was the largest fighting block.

The offensive purportedly came as a response to IS kidnapping and murdering a commander in Ahrar al-Sham, which was a part of the Islamic Front, in late December 2013. This however is disputed to have been the real cause of the fighting, given that the parties would have had trouble coordinating such a large-scale offensive that rapidly. Instead, it has been suggested that the offensive was planned before this event, and came about as a result of IS trying to monopolize control over territories in which it was active, driving out or eliminating other non-state actors (for instance Ahfad al-Rasoul - IS). The coalition successfully pushed IS out of Idlib, western Aleppo countryside and Aleppo city. Despite initial success in northern Aleppo, the offensive soon stalled with heavy losses on both sides. A failed attempt to break the stalemate were made through the formation of the Free Syria Operations Room in May (see Baz al-Islamiya, Dawn of Freedom Brigades, Islamic Front, Jabhat al-Akrad, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, Liwa al-Sultan Murad, Majd al-Sham - IS). Instead, IS began making slow gains in the region from June forward. At this time, however, Mujahideen Army had been greatly weakened due to groups leaving the alliance, and had seen its presence be greatly diminished in northern Aleppo. This coalition was thus largely defunct upon the formation of the Free Syria Operations Room.

Other consequential coalitions formed to drive ISIS out of Raqqah (see IS - Islamic Front, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, Liwa al-Jihad fi Sabeel Allah, Liwa Thuwar ar-Raqqa and Euphrates Islamic Liberation Front, Islamic Front, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, Liwa Thuwar ar-Raqqa - IS) and Deir ez Zor (see Authenticity and Development Front, Islamic Front, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham - IS and IS - Mujahideen Shura Council).