Profile: Liwa' al-Shamal (SNA)
This profile is currently available to free subscribers, though it will be paywalled after three weeks. At some point in the future this type of post will be subscriber-only.
Shout out to Sol on Twitter for their assistance in some of the pre-2016 research.
Liwa’ al-Shamal - لواء الشمال
‘Brigade of the North’
Basic information:
Founded in January 2016 as an Aleppo-based Faylaq al-Sham affiliate. Split with Faylaq al-Sham in May 2017
A member of the SNA since its founding on December 30 2017, affiliated with the First Legion
Took part in Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield (2016), Operation Olive Branch (2018), and Operation Peace Spring (2019).
Size estimate: small, under 1,000 fighters
Primarily active on the Jarabulus-Manbij front lines with the SDF and in Afrin city
Not to be confused with SDF-affiliated Liwa’ al-Shamal al-Dimuqrati
Leadership:
Rami al-Qoujah, aka Capt. Mustafa Abu Muhammed al-Shuyoukhi
Was the commander of “Katibat al-Shuyoukh,” a small opposition faction active in the Aleppo suburbs that took part in the battle for Regiment 46 base of late 2012.
This is not yet confirmed as written sources are scarce and video quality is poor, but it appears that Rami al-Qoujah was the commander of Liwa’ Maghawir al-Islam - a founding constituent group of Faylaq al-Sham active in battles around Aleppo city. The formation of Faylaq al-Sham was announced in March 2014, while an individual who resembles al-Qoujah and is described as the group’s commander appears in Maghawir al-Islam videos as early as May 2014.
May 2014 (source) 
June 2014 in the blue shirt (source) 
July 2014 (source) Possibly the Capt. Mustafa Abu Muhammed of Faylaq al-Sham interviewed by Al-Jazeera in December 2015 for an article on the first months of the Russian air campaign.
Reportedly was the commander of the SNA 1st Division at its founding in May 2021.
Was the director of Hay’at Tha’iroun lil-Tahrir’s Security Administration and a member of its ‘Command Council’
Maj. Taha Ahmed (deceased)
Killed on June 27 2016 in Tell Battal during clashes with the Islamic State
Abdullah Khalil
A military commander interviewed by SMART in 2020.
Areas of activity:
Afrin - Markaz subdistrict, occasionally sightings in Rajo, Bulbul
Euphrates Shield - al-Bab, Jarabulus subdistricts
Peace Spring - Tell Abyad subdistrict, seems to be temporary deployments
Western Aleppo (HTS controlled), unclear if still active post-2021
In September 2020 the group’s (now private) Telegram channel linked to a Halab Today video with the caption:
“A report on the series of courses that the SNA’s Department of Moral Guidance launched under the title Enhancing Compliance with International and Humanitarian Laws, and that was completed by Liwa’ al-Shamal in the presence of the commander of brigade and the commanders of the battalions and companies from all the sectors (Jarabulus, al-Bab, A’zaz, Afrin, western Aleppo countryside)”
SNA unit number:
Second Legion (since November 2022)
First Legion, 11th Division, 111st Brigade
Intra-SNA affiliations:
1st Division (May 30 2021 - ?)
Harakat Tha’iroun/Hay’at Tha’iroun lil-Tahrir (Oct 1 2021 - defunct)
‘Azm Operations Room (Aug 16 2021 - defunct)
Sub-factions/entities or mergers:
Founding battalions: Tajammu’ Thuwwar Manbij, Katibat Jund al-Rahman, Katibat al-Shahid ‘Ala’ Abu Zayd, Katibat al-Fajr al-Sadiq, Katibat Siraj al-Din/Shararat Tell Rifa’at, Katibat Ansar Allah, Katibat ‘Umar Abu al-Hassan, Katibat Maghawir al-Sunnah (possibly left for 23rd Division by Feb 2017)
June 2017 mergers: Katibat al-Zubayr bin al-’Awwam, Katibat al-Radifayn, Katibat al-Shuhada’ al-Qubbah, Katibat Maghawir al-Shamal, Katibat Shuhada’ Jarabulus, Katibat al-Shahid ‘Ala’ Barir
A “bloc…under the command of ‘Ali al-Hassan” of former Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki fighters
Liwa’ Halab al-Madinah [see linked thread for details; faction disappeared in 2016, reconstituted in 2020, former commander later in Liwa’ al-Shamal ranks]
Faction History:
Formed on January 29 2016, as a merger of eight small factions reportedly active in anti-Islamic State fighting in northern Aleppo, under the Faylaq al-Sham banner.
On May 25 2017 Faylaq al-Sham published a statement announcing that “after studying the violations and internal and external complaints regarding Faylaq al-Sham’s Liwa’ al-Shamal led by brother Captain Mustafa (Rami al-Qouja)” a decision was made to dismiss the commander and give Liwa’ al-Shamal constituent battalions the option to follow him or stay with Faylaq al-Sham. While Liwa’ al-Shamal published a response five days later requesting an investigation to review such complaints, this did not happen and the relationship was severed. In the following days there were rumors that related battalions defected to HTS and were involved in a Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki attack on Faylaq al-Sham, however this does not appear to be substantiated.
Joined the “Sultan Murad Bloc” on June 20 2017
Sent a contingent of fighters to Idlib and western Aleppo in February 2020 to assist in the defense the region from ongoing regime/Russian offensive. Appear to have already had a presence in western Aleppo as a social media post from August 19 2018 references Liwa’ al-Shamal’s “western Aleppo countryside sector” (see below).
Accessed from now private Telegram channel On April 18 2020 Rami al-Qoujah temporarily suspended the brigade’s operational activities in the Euphrates Shield region due to the continued operation of the SNA-controlled ‘Aoun al-Dadat crossing linking Jarabulus to SDF-controlled Manbij, after the crossing was closed due to COVID. According to Eldorar, this was specifically prompted by an incident involving 22 trucks attempting to cross which Rami al-Qoujah blocked, though First Legion commander Col. Mu’ataz Raslan later allowed them in.
While over the course of 2021-22 Liwa’ al-Shamal had participated in both the ‘Azm and Tha’iroun intra-SNA alliances which largely upended the initial three legion structure of the SNA set up by Turkey in 2017. However, in the wake of the late 2022 HTS-Third Legion debacle, Liwa’ al-Shamal - like most other factions - reportedly returned to its previous position within the First Legion.
Lineage:
Rural Aleppo armed opposition, some northern/eastern former Liwa’ al-Tawhid factions, some active in western Aleppo suburbs early on.
Known bases:
Afrin city (c. Jul 2022: Hay’at Tha’iroun lil-Tahrir, ‘The Security Detachment’)
(source) 
Tell al-'Amarah, Euphrates Shield region
(source) 
(source) 
Social Media:
1st Division Twitter account (May 2021 - Oct 2021)
1st Division Telegram channel (May 2021 - Oct 2021)
Twitter account (Jan 2021 - Apr 2021)
Suspended Twitter account (unarchived)
Telegram Channel (Jun 2017 - May 2021) [now private]
YouTube channel (Feb 2018 - Mar 2018)