Baladi News (Ahmed Abdel Ghani)
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the US State Department mentioned that it classified “und al-Aqsa”, an Islamic faction fighting in the north of Syria as a "terrorist organization" like "Fateh al-Sham Front" and other organizations considered by the United States as a danger threatening it, which provides an excuse for the United States to target this faction in any of the world countries.
The statement indicated that “today’s movement against Jund al-Aqsa notifies the American people and the International Community that Jund al-Aqsa is involved actively in terrorism”
The classification came few weeks after waging a large battle by Jund al-Aqsa and other factions of the Free Syrian Army on the fronts of Hama northern countryside, which enabled them to liberate several cities and towns from Assad’s forces that realized that Jund al-Aqsa approached their vital locations in Qamhana, Mahardah, Zine El Abidine Mountain, Ma’an, and Hama city.
Analysts linked the classification at this time to the existing Russian-American deals, as Russia insists on adding several movements and fighting factions to the terrorism list, mainly the Islamic Ahrar al-Sham Movement, which the United States still refuses to classify as a terrorist group.
On the other hand, both parties completely neglect the Shiite Iranian, Iraqi, Afghani, Pakistani, Lebanese militias fighting expressly alongside Assad’s regime and enjoying Russian support.
Jund al-Aqsa is considered one of the most important military factions in northern Syria. It had also been one of the main divisions in Jaish al-Fatah (Conquest Army), but it withdrew after the refusal of the former al-Nusra Front to fight ISIS and not showing any clear attitude toward that organization. The faction participated in the complete liberation of Idlib, Ghab Plain, and Murak and is still engaged in battles in Hama northern countryside.
