An exclusive look at the evolution of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade through talking to members and locals in the Yarmouk Valley in southwestern Deraa.
It is by now well established that Liwa Shuhada’ al-Yarmouk (‘The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade’), a one-time member of the Free Syrian Army Southern Front coalition, has become pro-Islamic State (ISIS) in orientation, using the ISIS flag in its logo and echoing ISIS discourse in its statements. Controlling a contiguous area of towns and villages in the Yarmouk Valley in south-western Deraa province, aspects of Liwa Shuhada’ al-Yarmouk governance have begun to mimic ISIS administration. But the process of the transition, based on publicly available evidence, still remains unclear. When exactly did Liwa Shuhada’ al-Yarmouk begin leaning towards ISIS? How did it happen? And what is the current state of play in the Yarmouk Valley?
The first claims of a Liwa Shuhada’ al-Yarmouk alignment with ISIS came in December 2014 from Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, which sparked clashes between the two groups that culminated in a ceasefire brokered by the Salafi rebel group Harakat al-Muthanna al-Islamiya. Though other Southern Front commanders at the time denied that Liwa Shuhada’ al-Yarmouk was secretly in league with ISIS, local testimony makes clear that after the clashes, a connection between Liwa Shuhada’ al-Yarmouk and ISIS became a matter of public knowledge in the Yarmouk Valley. “[It began] after the clashes. It was in the beginning only that members heard about the Dawla [ISIS]. They liked the manhaj [ideological program], and [there was] a revolution of the youth: ‘We want their course if they are truthful,’” said Rola al-Baridi via Facebook, a resident from the town of Jamla, an area controlled by Liwa Shuhada’ al-Yarmouk. No one, however, was able or willing to confirm the allegations of secret contact prior to that period. As al-Baridi put it, “With regards to whether there was a secret connection with respect to the leadership, this I don’t know about. We are speaking about what is in the open.” One member of the group, calling himself Abu Faruk, attempted to portray his brigade as having always been ‘Islamic’ in orientation, saying: “From the beginning, the brigade was Islamic in formation and thought.” This assertion should be taken with a pinch of salt. The term used by locals and members of the group to describe the changes that have come about in the Yarmouk Valley since knowledge of the connection between ISIS and Liwa Shuhada’ al-Yarmouk became public is islah, meaning ‘reform’ in Arabic. In this regard, the most notable change has been the establishment of a separate court in the town of al-Shajra, circumventing the authority of the Dar al-‘Adl that is the accepted judicial body among factions in the south. Despite complaints from the Dar al-‘Adl that Liwa Shuhada’ al-Yarmouk had been targeting and assassinating members of other factions besides operating the court illegally, Liwa Shuhada’ al-Yarmouk continued to defy the Dar al-‘Adl, announcing (again) in late July the opening of an “Islamic court,” only this time with an ‘Islamic police’ force to accompany it, imitating ISIS’ own “Islamic police”. In August, Liwa Shuhada’ al-Yarmouk set up a “Diwan al-Hisba”- taking the name ISIS uses for its own department of governance designed to enforce Islamic morality.