Active 2 April 2016 – present | ||
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Groups Army of Revolutionaries
Northern Sun Battalion
Euphrates Brigades
Jund al-Haramayn Brigade
Euphrates Martyrs Brigade
Dam Martyrs Brigade
Al-Qusais Brigade
Manbij Turkmen Brigade
Seljuq Brigade
Euphrates Liberation Brigade
Manbij Hawks Brigade
Manbij Revolutionaries Battalion Leaders Adnan Abu-Amjad (military council top commander)
Ibrahim al-Bannawi
Abu Layla (DOW)
Abu Jassim
Abu Khalaf
Abu Adel
Shervan Derwish (spokesperson)
Ahmad Arsh Headquarters Tishrin Dam (pre-offensive)
Manbij (post-offensive) Area of operations Manbij District, Aleppo Governorate, Syria Battles and wars Manbij offensive (2016)
Turkish military intervention in Syria
Battle of al-Bab (2016)
East Aleppo offensive (February–March 2017) | ||
Throughout 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces have established four separate military councils (three in the Shahba region) in order to facilitate and conduct military operations. As of December 2016, the four military councils are the Manbij Military Council, the al-Bab Military Council, the Jarabulus Military Council, and (outside the Shahba) the Deir Ezzor Military Council.
Contents
Manbij
The Manbij Military Council (MMC) is a coalition established by components of the SDF group Army of Revolutionaries (Northern Sun Battalion and the Seljuk Brigade), on 2 April 2016 at the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates. The military council aimed to capture the city of Manbij across the river and many of the council members are local fighters from the surrounding areas.
History
The Manbij offensive has included the Manbij Military Council, US special operations forces, and minimal YPG and YPJ involvement assisted by US-led coalition airstrikes. The SDF fighters are mostly Arabs. During the offensive, an SDF fighter gave his perspective as "we have Arabs, Kurds, nobody knows how many exactly, we all work under the SDF-forces".
On 5 April, a civilian council was formed in the town of Sarin by individuals originally from Manbij who had fled when Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took over. The council consists of Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, and Circassians, and was created to administer Manbij after its capture.
The commander of the Manbij Military Council, Abu Layla, died of wounds he suffered from gunshots in the Manbij front against the Islamic State. He was succeeded by Abu Adel.
On 19 August 2016, the Manbij Military Council issued a statement which announced that it was taking over the security of Manbij city center and villages from the YPG and YPJ, though some of their fighters remained to continue to provide training and other support duties. On 17 November 2016, the rest of the YPG and YPJ fighters left Manbij, leaving the security of the area and training of troops fully to the council.
Post-Manbij offensive expansion
and
Al-Bab
The al-Bab Military Council was formed on 14 August 2016 by seven small SDF-affiliated factions with the goal of capturing the city of al-Bab, west of Manbij and "a symbol of the revolution and the foundation for a democratic, free and plural Syria". The military council called for US support, and later Afrin-based SDF forces launched the an offensive in the countryside, west of al-Bab.
On 31 October 2016, an all-female battalion was established within the al-Bab Military Council.
Jarabulus
The Jarabulus Military Council is an SDF coalition in the Shahba Region formed by local fighters from the city of Jarabulus and the surrounding areas, who had fled from ISIL.
Abdel Sattar al-Jader, the initial leader of the Jarabulus Military Council and the commander of the Euphrates Jarabulus Brigades, was assassinated just prior to the Turkish military intervention in the Syrian Civil War, and the SDF have accused Turkish military intelligence of organizing the assassination.
Deir Ezzor
On 8 December 2016 the Deir Ezzor Military Council was created during a SDF conference in Hasaka. On 11 December, the council stated that after completing the second phase of the Northern Raqqa offensive they will redirect their focus to Deir ez-Zor Governorate.