Hurras al-Din poses a security challenge in Syria

HaD is avowedly loyal to Al-Qaeda and its leadership is dominated by non-Syrian Al-Qaeda veterans.

Hurras al-Din (HaD), Arabic for “Guardians of Religion”, are hardcore Al-Qaeda elements who broke away from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the strongest insurgent group in the Idlib enclave. According to counterextremism.com, Hurras al-Din (HaD) was formed on February 27, 2018, by a merger of seven hard-line Syrian rebel factions. Ten more minor rebel factions joined the group in the months following its formation, all with a history of ideological and leadership ties to Al-Qaeda.

At least half of the group’s members are foreigners. HaD is avowedly loyal to Al-Qaeda and its leadership is dominated by non-Syrian Al-Qaeda veterans. HaD’s leadership is split along two ideological currents: one following the teachings of Al-Qaeda scholar Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi and the other following the Libyan cleric Jamal Ibrahim Ashityawee al-Musratti. Both currents, however, view Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri as their “defining authority”.