Defections threaten Ahrar al-Sham jihadist movement in Syria
Once considered by some Western observers as a formidable opposition movement, Ahrar al-Sham is experiencing major defections and facing survival challenges.
IDLIB, Syria — The owner of the well-known @MzmjerSh Twitter account of a jihadist from Syria revealed in a thread June 22 that Ahrar al-Sham is experiencing major defections within its ranks.
@MzmjerSh focuses on jihadist affairs and the man behind it is believed to be a former jihadist leader in Jabhat al-Nusra.
“The Ahrar al-Sham movement is currently witnessing a major turning point, since about 1,000 fighters, who form the backbone of the commando forces and the special forces, have defected. The division came as a result of disputes with the movement's leadership over some internal reforms that these fighters had demanded,” @MzmjerSh said.
He added, “Ahrar al-Sham leader Amer al-Sheikh tried to downplay the importance of these defections by saying that no more than 300 fighters may defect, wishing them luck should they choose to do so. Sheikh seems unaware that such a division will deal a severe blow to the movement and will be followed by more defections, leading to the movement completely collapsing.”
