Appendix A: Glossary of Armed Factions

This appendix provides a short glossary of the names, abbreviations, and descriptions of armed and political groups referenced in this paper.

Ahrar al-Sham (AS) or Harakat Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya:

A hardline Islamist militia based in northwest Syria, included some former fighters with Al Qaeda in 2013.

Jabhat al-Nusra (JAN):

Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria. The group would eventually change its name twice: to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham in 2016 and to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in 2017 as part of a merger with other insurgents in Syria.

Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS):

The Al Qaeda offshoot that would declare the formation of an Islamic “Caliphate” in Syria and Iraq in 2013, and would change its name to the Islamic State (IS) after its capture of Mosul in 2014.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF):

A coalition of mostly Syrian Kurdish forces supported by the United States-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, which was founded in 2015.

Free Syrian Army (FSA):

A loose coalition of Syrian militias fighting President Bashar al-Assad, founded in 2011.

Syrian National Coalition (Etilaf), or The National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces:

The internationally recognized Syrian opposition government in exile, founded in 2012.

Supreme Military Council (SMC):

The military leadership of the FSA, founded in 2012 and disbanded in 2014.

Syrian Arab Republican Government (SARG):

The Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad.