The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, and allied organizations have formed a new coalition for the battle of Aleppo. The alliance calls itself Ansar al Sharia, a name used by other al Qaeda groups in the Middle East and North Africa. Along with a founding statement, the new grouping has released a short video announcing its establishment. A screen shot from the video can be seen above.
In addition to Al Nusrah, Ansar al Sharia includes one dozen other named groups. Ahrar al Sham and Ansar al Din, both of which are tied to al Qaeda’s international network, are members of the coalition.
A group called Ansar al Khilafah (“Supporters of the Caliphate”) has joined Ansar al Sharia as well. An organization by the same name was founded in December 2012, when five brigades, including one named the Ansar al Sharia Brigade, merged. At the time, The Long War Journal’s sources identified Ansar al Khilafah’s five constituent groups as being local units of the Al Nusrah front. Ansar al Khilafah and Al Nusrah jointly overran a town in the Aleppo province in July 2013.
The other named members of Ansar al Sharia include the Mujahideen al Islam Movement and the Al Tawhid Wal Jihad Brigade (which has fought alongside Al Nusrah and its allies in the past), as well as other brigades.