Photoblog: Rahman Corps destroy Assad tank in Damascus suburbs
Photoblog: Rahman Corps destroy Assad tank in Damascus suburbs
The FSA-affiliated Rahman Corps has blown up a tank east of Damascus following days of fighting between Syrian rebel and regime forces.
2 min read
05 Oct, 2017
Rahman Corps fighters captured and destroyed an Assad regime tank outside the capital [Qusay Noor]
Days of fighting between the Syrian regime and the Free Syrian Army-affiliated Rahman Corps on the outskirts of Damascus saw the rebels destory an enemy tank on Saturday.
Fierce clashes took place in Ein Tarma, Jobar, an area separating the east of the Syrian capital from Eastern Ghouta, in Damascus' green belt.
Fighting has been bloody, with at least 54 regime fighters killed in the battle despite the area being technically covered by a ceasefire. Russian officials claimed that although the Rahman Corps' rebel rival in Damascus, Jaish al-Islam, signed the de-escalation agreement with the regime, the Rahman Corps did not.
The moderate Islamist movement emerged from the mass defections from the Syrian army in 2011, when local protection forces were set up to protect opposition neighbourhoods.
The Rahman Corps has close links to the Muslim Brotherhood and has been viewed as one of the more moderate opposition groups still fighting in Syria.
They have been a major obstacle to the Syrian army's attempts to clear the eastern outskirts of Damascus of rebel forces. They are understood to have TOW missiles that have been used to disable Bashar al-Assad's tanks and armoured vehicles.
Reportedly backed by Qatar, the Rahman Legion has fought several battles with the Saudi-supported, Salafi-inspired rebel group Jaish al-Islam, as well as the al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front.
Fierce clashes took place in Ein Tarma, Jobar, an area separating the east of the Syrian capital from Eastern Ghouta, in Damascus' green belt.
Fighting has been bloody, with at least 54 regime fighters killed in the battle despite the area being technically covered by a ceasefire. Russian officials claimed that although the Rahman Corps' rebel rival in Damascus, Jaish al-Islam, signed the de-escalation agreement with the regime, the Rahman Corps did not.
The moderate Islamist movement emerged from the mass defections from the Syrian army in 2011, when local protection forces were set up to protect opposition neighbourhoods.
The Rahman Corps has close links to the Muslim Brotherhood and has been viewed as one of the more moderate opposition groups still fighting in Syria.
They have been a major obstacle to the Syrian army's attempts to clear the eastern outskirts of Damascus of rebel forces. They are understood to have TOW missiles that have been used to disable Bashar al-Assad's tanks and armoured vehicles.
Reportedly backed by Qatar, the Rahman Legion has fought several battles with the Saudi-supported, Salafi-inspired rebel group Jaish al-Islam, as well as the al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front.
Photos by Qusay Noor. Follow him on Twitter: @QUSAY_NOOR_
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| The Assad regime tank destroyed by Rahman Corps fighters [Qusay Noor] |
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| The Rahman Corps are FSA-affiliated and have killed several of Assad's soldiers while in the process of capturing the tank [Qusay Noor] |
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| Rahman Corps fighters take shelter inside a tunnel [Qusay Noor] |
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| Rebel fighters during an exchange of fire with regime forces [Qusay Noor] |
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| Rahman Corps have also taken part in battles against Salafi rebel groups, as well as fighting against the Assad regime [Qusay Noor] |
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| A rebel fighter in combat in Ein Tarma [Qusay Noor] |
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| Two Rahman fighters. The battle on Saturday left dozens of Assad army soldiers and allied militiamen dead [Qusay Noor] |
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| In addition to cross-fire conflict, the Rahman Corps has also blown up buildings which Assad's soldiers were known to be using as staging posts [Qusay Noor] |
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Qusay Noor is a journalist and photographer from Eastern Ghouta in Syria.
Follow him on Twitter: @QUSAY_NOOR_
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