Leaders First faction:
Mohammad Tohme
Bilal Droubi
Capt. Ziad Abbas
Second faction:
General commander Haitham Ahmad Odah
Col. Nassim Abu Ezza Headquarters Bosra, Daraa Governorate Area of operations Daraa Governorate
Quneitra Governorate Part of Free Syrian Army
Southern Front Allies Islamic Front
Alwiya al-Furqan
Al-Nusra Front Opponents Syrian Armed Forces
National Defense Force | ||
The Youth of Sunna Forces, formerly the Youth of Sunna Division and the Youth of Sunna Brigade, is a Syrian rebel group affiliated with the Free Syrian Army's Southern Front that was armed with U.S.-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles. It operates in the Daraa and Quneitra Governorates.
Contents
History
On 2 August 2016, fighters from the group raided the house of its deputy leader Mohammad Tohme and proceeded beat his father and shot his brother. In response, the next day Tohme loyalists stormed its own headquarters in Bosra and deposed Ahmad al-Auda, the leader of the group. Auda and his followers fled and was subsequently placed under house arrest, while the military council handed over the group's command to Tohme and his deputy, Bilal Droubi. Some rebel supporters called this a coup d'etat while others declared their support and defended the toppling of corrupt leaders.
On 22 August 21, additional Southern Front factions joined the Youth of Sunna Division under the new leadership of colonel Nassim Abu Ezza.
Groups
War crimes
On 28 February 2016, the diplomat for the town of Abtaa, Colonel Zidan Nsierat, was disappeared into a prison in Bosra held by the Youth of Sunna Brigade. Three days later, he was killed being tortured in the prison, and the group refused to hand over his corpse to his family. Similar incidents of deaths due to prisoner abuse by the Youth of Sunna was reported in the town.