Syrian al-Qaeda affiliate, HTS offshoot Hurras al-Din dissolves: What we know
Hurras al-Din, which split from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham after the latter distanced itself from al-Qaeda, had led attacks against Syrian government forces and Russian interests in Syria.
The jihadist Hurras al-Din group, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda and fought Syrian government forces in Syria, announced its dissolution on Tuesday, more than a month after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad following a sweeping rebel offensive led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group.
In a statement the jihadist group, whose name means Guardians of Religion in Arabic, said its mission in Syria has ended after “liberating the land” from the “tyrant,” in reference to the former Assad regime.
“In light of these developments on the Levantine scene, and by an emir's decision from the general command of al-Qaeda in the Levant organization, we announce to our Muslim nation and to the Sunnis in the Levant the dissolution of the Guardians of Religion Organization,” the group added.
تنظيم حراس الدين " الفرع السوري للقاعدة " يصدر بياناً يعلن فيه حل تنظيمه بناء على أوامر من القيادة العامة لتنظيم القاعدة.#سوريا pic.twitter.com/VHSTcXxVzO
— مهاب ناصر/Mohab (@Mohab_Nasser2) January 28, 2025
Background: Hurras al-Din was formed in February 2018 by a number of factions that had split from HTS over the latter’s dissociation from al-Qaeda in 2016. Hurras al-Din affirmed its loyalty to al-Qaeda and declared its allegiance to its leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
