Active Early 2012 – present Opponents Syrian Armed Forces | Strength ~900 | |
 | ||
Leaders Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Nasif
Basil Eissa (KIA)
Mohannad Eissa Area of operations Idlib Governorate, Syria Part of Free Syrian Army
Syria Revolutionaries Front | ||
The Idlib Martyrs' Brigade or Liwa Shuhada’ Idlib is an armed insurgent group fighting against the Syrian government in the Idlib province of Syria. It first operated under the name Syrian Liberation Army, but had renamed itself by June 2012. It is a loose coalition of localized forces, mostly composed of armed Syrian civilians who have joined the uprising.
The group is based in Idlib Governorate and is primarily concerned with trying to expel government forces from the governorate, with the Idlib Martyrs' Brigade claiming that they, and not the better equipped Free Syrian Army, are doing the majority of the fighting in Idlib province. The brigade only appears to be active in Idlib province.
One of the group's primary problems is the fact that it is incredibly difficult to secure weapons and ammunition. This in turn is severely hampering its recruitment and its ability to carry out attacks on Syrian government forces. The Brigade has claimed that up to 71,000 youths are ready to join the group but are prevented from doing so due to lack of weaponry and equipment. This shortage has resulted in the group placing greater emphasis on bombings and roadside explosions using cheaper, homemade bombs, to counter the government.
The group also refused to abide by the Kofi Annan brokered ceasefire with Haitham Qudeimati, the groups spokesman, stating that any lull in the fighting on their part would only be due to a lack of weaponry.
On 5 November 2012, the head of the Idlib Martyrs' Brigade, Basil Eissa, along with at least 20 other rebels were killed in an airstrike by the Syrian Air Force.