Abu Ali Bard

Abu Ali Bard, whose birth name is Abdul-Malik Bard, is a Syrian rebel leader and commander of Jaysh al-Thuwar, a Free Syrian Army-aligned group operating as part of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces coalition that is largely made up of Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG). Biography Background He had been described as dedicated to the cause of the Syrian opposition, and would carry himself as an "Islamic Mujahid" while also singing traditional Ataaba music and enjoy smoking cigarettes, also criticizing Chechen foreign fighters calling them "Chechen dogs", and participating in several battles against the Syrian government according to activists. Anti-government activities Abu Ali Bard is from the town of Taftanaz in the Idlib Governorate in northwestern Syria, he has been described as one of the first civilians to take up arms against the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad and joined the Syrian Martyrs' Brigade that was founded by the rebel commander Jamal Maarouf in 2012. From 2012 to 2015 he took part in several battles alongside rebel forces including the al-Nusra Front, in 2013 he became a member of the Syrian Revolutionaries Front led by Maarouf and was made head of the group's special forces unit.