Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa

Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa (لواء ثوار الرقة, liwā' thūwwār ar-raqqah; English: Raqqa Revolutionaries' Brigade) is a rebel group that has been active during the Syrian civil war. It was formed in Raqqa Governorate in September 2012. Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa wants Syria to become an undivided civil democratic state.

History
The group was allied with Jabhat al-Nusra in Raqqa city for a while in late 2013, but by January 2014 it had broken away from Jabhat al-Nusra and itself led the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the city. After ISIL expelled Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa and other rebel groups from Raqqa city, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa moved into the Raqqa Governorate countryside and allied itself with the Kurdish YPG. In July 2014 the faction and 10 other groups threatened to leave Aleppo and Raqqa governorates if they were not aided by other rebels to fight ISIL. In September 2014 Liwa Thwwar al-Raqqa joined the Euphrates Volcano joint operations room. In 2015, it participated in the YPG offensive towards the Syrian border city of Tell Abyad. In June, fighters from Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa were seen hoisting the Syrian rebel flag near the Turkish border, whilst the group was also fighting ISIL in the southern city of Ayn Issa, on the road to Raqqa itself. Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa was able to grow considerably in size because of the influx of both rebels from Turkey and locals who wanted to fight ISIL. The current size of the brigade is unknown, but numbers in the hundreds. In October 2015, the group stated it received military equipment from the United States in order to fight ISIL north of Raqqa. It has stated it intends to capture the city of Raqqa from ISIL.

In November 2015, the group merged with Tribes' Army to form Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa which became part of a greater coalition in northern Syria. However tensions between the Kurdish and Arab factions of the group grew after alleged Kurdish atrocities against the Arab populations of northern Syria. In response the Kurds with their Arab allies blockaded the region held by Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa, after ISIS attacks increased from the region held by Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa, which became susceptible to an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant attack in late December 2015. On 6 January 2016, the group issued a statement claiming it was disbanding as a consequence of the blockade, although the cause of the disbandment has been disputed.

In late 2015, Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa reappeared, announcing it had decided to join Syrian Democratic Forces.