Ahrar al-Sham denies fighting in Azaz or Abo Kamal

The Islamic Ahrar al-Sham Movement has denied any engagement or involvement in the fighting that occurred in Azaz, northern Aleppo or in Abo Kamal, near the Syrian-Iraqi borders.

In a statement obtained by Zaman Alwasl, the Islamic group said, no one of our fighters have participated in the fighting which took place in Azaz or Abo Kamal, adding, the real news is only what our media center publishes or by our senior leaders say.

Ahrar al-Sham is likely to be Syria’s largest Salafi faction. It claims to run about a hundred local armed groups, as well as offices for humanitarian aid and sharia law. It was created in the Idlib-Hama region in early summer 2011. In December 2012 it spearheaded the creation of the SIF alliance, which drew like-minded Islamist groups into its orbit. In spring 2013, several SIF member factions merged into Ahrar al-Sham, greatly adding to its numbers and influence. It seeks an Islamic state based on Shariah law.