Ghuraba al-Sham
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Ghuraba al-Sham (Arabic: غرباء الشام Ghurabā' ash-Shām, "Strangers of the Levant ") was a group of jihadists of Turkish and former Eastern bloc origin[3] who smuggled foreign fighters to Iraq, intervened in Lebanon during the 2007 Lebanon conflict,[6] and fought in Syria during the Syrian civil war.[3] The group coordinated with Al-Nusra Front in clashes with the People's Protection Units during the Battle of Ras al-Ayn in November 2012[8] and in January 2013.[9] The group apparently shut down or disappeared in 2014.
| Ghuraba al-Sham | |
|---|---|
| غرباء الشام | |
| Leaders | Mahmud al-Aghasi (2003–2007)[1] |
| Dates of operation | 2003–2013 |
| Active regions | Syria Lebanon Iraq[2] |
| Ideology | Sunni Jihadism[3] |
| Allies | Al-Nusra Front[4] (formerly)[5][6] Ahrar ash-Sham Ahrar al-Jazeera[7] |
| Opponents | Syrian Armed Forces People's Protection Units[8] |
| Battles and wars | Syrian civil war Syrian civil war spillover in Lebanon |
Structure
The group was founded by Aleppo preacher Mahmud al-Aghasi, who was also known as Abu al-Qaqa. He was often accused by Syrian opposition parties of working for the Mukhabarat and during the 2007 Lebanon conflict he was known as the Godfather of Fatah al-Islam.[6] The group was widely believed by many Lebanese people to be smuggling fighters to Iraq during the Iraqi insurgency and later to the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp to help Fatah al-Islam under the alleged auspice of the Syrian government.[6] Abu al-Qaqa was killed in Aleppo by a former prisoner who was held by Americans during the Iraq War[1] on 28 September 2007.[6] Members of the group were recruited in Syria and sent to Iraq to fight during the Iraq War.
