Profile: Liwa' al-Waqqas (SNA)
Liwa’ al-Waqqas - لواء الوقاص - Al Vakkas Tugayı
‘al-Waqqas Brigade’
Basic information:
Likely formed in early 2017 in northern Aleppo
A member of the SNA since its founding on December 30 2017, affiliated with the First Legion
Took part in Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch (2018), and Operation Peace Spring (2019)
Part of the “13th Division” coalition with Liwa’ Samarqand and Liwa' al-Sultan Mehmet al-Fatih
Size estimate: several hundred fighters
Primarily active in Mare’ and nearby frontline village of al-Tuways (Euphrates Shield), kicked out of southern Sheikh al-Hadid (Afrin) in late 2022
Ethnic Turkmen identity, though membership might be mixed Arab/Turkmen
Leadership:
Sa’ad ‘Abbas
Reportedly from Mare’, Aleppo
Account from former member: “There is a prior familiarity between me and the commander of Liwa al-Waqqas considering that he was in the [al-Jabhah al-Shamiyah] and he is of the sons of the town of Mare'a and we were fighting the [Islamic State] in Mare'a and on account of that relation I joined this Liwa.”
Visited the local district headquarters of Turkish ultranationalist MHP in Ankara suburbs in January 2020
Pic 1: fourth from left. Pic 2: right (source)
Areas of activity:
Euphrates Shield (Mare’, al-Tuwais)
Afrin
Until October 2022: Anqelê (أنقلة) and Senarê (سنارة) in the Sheikh al-Hadid subdistrict, Hêkiçê (هيكجة), Merwanê (مرونة), and Aşkê Xerbî (إشكان غربي) in Cindires subdistrict
Unclear if still present in region
SNA unit number:
First Legion, 13th Division, 133rd Brigade
Intra-SNA affiliations:
13th Division (May 28 2021 - )
‘Azm (Aug 20 2021 - defunct)
Hay’at Tha’iroun lil-Tahrir (Oct 13 2022 - defunct)
Faction History:
First mention online appears to be this May 2017 article from al-Modon about Turkey’s attempts to unify opposition factions into what would become the SNA First Legion
Was a member of the ‘National Army Bloc’ along with Liwa’ al-Samarqand, Liwa’ al-Muntasir Billah, Liwa’ al-Sultan Mehmet al-Fatih, and al-Liwa’ al-Thalath ny September 2017
Formed the “Third Infantry Division” in October 2017 group with Furqat al-Sultan Mehmet al-Fatih and Liwa’ al-Fatah/Qa’idat al-Ghazl. This entity with the three same factions seems to have turned into the SNA First Legion’s 13th Division after the SNA was formed two months later, and Liwa’ al-Waqqas used the name “13th Infantry Division” on an official statement at least once in February 2019.
Deployed to Sheikh al-Hadid/Ma’batli/Cindires front during Operation Olive Branch (2018)
In April 2018 a Turkish ultranationalist Twitter account shared two pictures of armed men giving the ‘wolf salute’ and pickup trucks bearing Liwa’ al-Waqqas logos and a decal based on the logo of the ultranationalist Ülkü Ocakları paramilitary organization, with words referencing a related, long since defunct Turkish volunteer battalion in the First Karabakh War, and its commander Yusuf Ziya Arpacık. The photos (a third close up of the black truck here) were likely taken in the vicinity of Operation Olive Branch staging grounds within Turkey, just across the border from Afrin. It’s unclear whether the four men seen are Syrian or Turkish nationals.
Deployed to Tell Abyad front during Operation Peace Spring (2019)
Opposition media outlet STEP wrote about abuses committed by the group in rural Cindires in May 2020.
Liwa’ al-Waqqas was attacked in the Sheikh al-Hadid and Cindires subdistricts of Afrin by Furqat al-Sultan Suleiman Shah within the context of the October 2022 HTS-SNA clashes. Furqat al-Sultan Suleiman Shah seized the group’s headquarters and forced them from the region. In response, Liwa’ al-Waqqas (and Liwa’ Samarqand) immediately joined the Hay’at Tha’iroun lil-Tahrir coalition for protection.
Lineage:
Reportedly al-Jabhah al-Shamiyah, local Mare’ factions (see leadership section). Fighters recruited amongst Damascus and Homs IDP population as well.
Known bases:
Infantry College Camp, Mare’, Euphrates Shield region
(source) 
al-Qadisiyah Camp, Merwanê Jorin, Afrin [Likely under control of Furqat al-Sultan Suleiman Shah since Oct 2022 ]
(source) 
Social Media:
Telegram channel (Feb 2019 - )
YouTube channel (Jul 2020 - )
Defunct Twitter account (Feb - Aug 2019 archived)
Defunct Facebook account (Mar - Oct 2018)