
Jaysh al-Ahrar was an armed Salafi jihadist rebel group in northwestern Syria which was formed on 1 December 2016. It was founded by 16 units in Ahrar ash-Sham which sided with Jabhat Fateh al-Sham in the inter-rebel conflict, and most of its members joined Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in January 2017. Its leader Abu Jaber Shaykh became HTS' leader, and Jaysh al-Ahrar left HTS in September 2017, collaborating with both HTS and Ahrar ash-Sham in the fight against the Syrian government. On 29 January 2025, the faction was merged into the new Syrian Army.