Active 2011–early 2015 Headquarters Azaz, Syria Area of operations Aleppo Governorate | Allies Mare' Operations Room Founded 2011 | |
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Ideology Sunni Islamism
Secularism (formerly) Leaders Mahmoud Naddom
Ammar Ibrahim Dadikhi †
Samir Amouri (former) Strength 1,100–2,000 (2012)
200 (2014)
500 (January 2015) Battles and wars Syrian civil war, Battle of Azaz, Siege of Menagh Air Base, Battle of Aleppo Opponents Syrian Armed Forces, National Defence Forces, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Part of Free Syrian Army, Islamic Front (formerly) | ||
The Northern Storm Brigade (Arabic: لواء عاصفة الشمال, Liwa Asifat al-Shamal) is a Syrian rebel group formed in 2011 and based in Azaz in northwestern Syria, near the border with Turkey. Its leader and other members of the group were smugglers from the city and its surrounding before the Syrian Civil War. It had been accused of kidnapping and smuggling. The group retained exclusive control of the Bab al-Salam border crossing.
Contents
History
The Northern Storm Brigade was responsible for the kidnapping of eleven Lebanese men in 2012. Nine of them were released on 19 October 2013. It fought in the Battle of Azaz (2012) and participated in the Siege of Menagh Air Base. The group's former leader Ammar Ibrahim Dadikhi was severely wounded in the middle of January 2013, during the siege of this base, which resulted in him losing one of his legs and eventually his life. He was succeeded by the group's former political leader, Samir Amouri. Two senior commanders (Hadi Salo and Samir Akkash) were also killed in this period, while other members of the group defected to Islamic rebel formations.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) attacked the town of Azaz in September 2013 and pushed the brigade out. Samir Amouri reportedly fled to Turkey and was replaced by the current leader, Mahmoud Naddom. Under his rule, the group began to develop relationships and begin coordinating with other rebels. During this period they were based in the Turkish city of Kilis.
On 28 February 2014, ISIS was ousted from Azaz by Kurdish and rebel forces, putting the Northern Storm Brigade back in power.
On 2 March 2014 the Northern Storm Brigade announced that they would join the Islamic Front under the leadership of the al-Tawhid Brigade.
The brigade acts as the local police force in Azaz, operating under the Sharia Committee run by the Islamic Front.
Military capabilities
As of early 2015 Northern Storm had around 500 fighters, including several Kurds. The group's headquarters were located at a military base to the north of Azaz. It lacked heavy weaponry and vehicles, which had led to criticism of the group's abilities as a fighting force.