Liwa al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar

Army of Emigrants and Supporters
Liwa al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar
(Arabic: لواء المهاجرون والأنصار)
Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar
(جيش المهاجرين والأنصار)
Leaders
  • Abu Omar al-Shishani(summer 2012–winter 2013)
  • Salahuddin Shishani (December 2013–June 2015)
  • Abu Ibrahim al-Khurasani (June 2015–September 2015)
  • Sheikh Mu'tasim Billah al-Madani (September 2015–January 2025)
  • Mansur Dagestani  (? - May 2019)
Dates of operationSummer 2012 – 2025
Group(s)Green Battalion
Active regionsNorthwestern Syria
IdeologySalafi jihadism
Islamic fundamentalism
Size≈750 fighters (September 2015)
Part of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (from 2017)

Former:

Allies

Former:

Opponents Ba'athist Syria
 Iran
 Russia
 United States
Battles and wars

Liwa al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (LMA, Arabic: لواء المهاجرون والأنصار), Brigade of Emigrants and Supporters or literally Banner of the Emigrants and Supporters), also known as Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (JMA or JAMWA, Arabic: جيش المهاجرين والأنصار, Army of Emigrants and Supporters), formerly the Muhajireen Battalion (Arabic: كتيبة المهاجرين, Katibat al-Muhajireen), was a Salafi jihadist group consisting of both Arabic-speaking fighters and fighters from the North Caucasus that has been active in the Syrian Civil War against the Syrian government. The group was briefly affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in 2013, but after changes in leadership, it took an increasingly hostile stance against it. In September 2015, JMA pledged allegiance to the al-Nusra Front.

The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by Bahrain, Canada, Malaysia and the United States. However, analyst Joanna Paraszczuk has argued that the charges of kidnapping and attacking civilians indicated by the US State Department were unproven; and that the sanctions will have no practical effect.

At the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference, which was held on 29 January 2025, most factions of the armed opposition, including the Liwa al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, announced their dissolution and were incorporated into the newly formed Ministry of Defense.