Active 2013 – present | Battles and wars Syrian civil war | |
 | ||
Ideology Vilayat-e Faqih
Anti-Americanism
Khomeinism
Muqtada al-Sadr Thought Groups Kata'ib Assad Allah al-Ghalib (former Iraqi branch; current relation with LAAG dubious) Leaders Secretary-General Sheikh Abdallah al-Shaibani
(overall leader)
Sayyid Abu Ghayth al-Hassani
(leader of Kata'ib Assad Allah al-Ghalib) Area of operations Syria
Rif Dimashq Governorate
Latakia Governorate
Iraq Part of Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas network Opponents Free Syrian Army, Islamic Front, Al-Nusra Front, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant | ||
The Conquering Lion of God Forces in Iraq and Levant (Arabic: Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham, LAAG for short) is a Shia Muslim militant group operating throughout Syria and Iraq. It is named after the nickname of Imam Ali.
History
Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib was originally set up in late 2013 as part of the Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas network, ostensibly to work with other Shia militias to protect the Sayyidah Zaynab shrine, and was initially advised by Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq veterans. Although the group has Syrian members, LAAG primarily recruits Iraqi Shiites since its formation and has built an extensive recruitment network within Iraq.
Since mid-August 2013, LAAG began to actively fight for the Syrian government against various Syrian opposition groups. In this capacity, it originally operated almost exclusively in the Rif Dimashq Governorate, notably participating in the Rif Dimashq offensive (March–August 2013) and the Battle of Al-Malihah. This changed after June 2014, when ISIL conquered Mosul, as LAAG set up an Iraq branch, named "Kata'ib Assad Allah al-Ghalib" and led by Sayyid Abu Ghayth al- Hassani. Since then, however, strong differences have emerged between LAAG and Kata'ib Assad Allah al-Ghalib, with Sheikh Abdallah al-Shaibani claiming that the latter has illegitimately appropriated his group's name and branding, while Kata'ib Assad Allah al-Ghalib no longer claims to be part of LAAG. Despite that, LAAG still had an active Iraqi branch by early 2016.
In early 2015, LAAG, among other Shia militias, deployed forces to Latakia Governorate, when Sunni rebel forces threatened the local Alawite population. While LAAG returned to rural Rif Dimashq after this first northern foray, it became more active throughout Syria afterwards. In late 2015, LAAG sent fighters to Aleppo for the Aleppo offensive (October–December 2015), and in early 2016 it returned to the Syrian coastal highlands to participate in a local government offensive. At the same time, the group also began to provide advisors for Suqur al-Sahara. Meanwhile, LAAG's Iraqi units had joined forces with Harakat al-Abdal, and developed close links with the Badr Organization and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada. LAAG still operated in the Damascus area as of March 2017.