Profile: Liwa Samarqand (SNA)

Liwa’ Samarqand - لواء سمرقند

‘Samarkand Brigade’

Basic information:

• Founded in northern Aleppo in June 2016

• 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)

• Part of the “13th Division” coalition with Liwa’ al-Waqqas and Furqat al-Sultan Mehmet al-Fatih

• Size estimate: small, under 1,000 fighters

• Primarily active in Kafr Safrah, Cindires (Afrin) and rural eastern al-Bab (Euphrates Shield)

• Named for the Uzbek city Samarkand

Leadership:

Tha’ir al-Ma’rouf

• Twitter account

• Appointed Mar 13 2018

• Former member of Jabhat Thuwwar Suriya (SRF), kicked out of Idlib by Jabhat al-Nusrah in 2014