The founder of the Dawn of Freedom Brigades was Nizar al-Khatib, also known by his
nom de guerre "Abu Laith". Al-Khatib was a commander in the
Ghuraba al-Sham Front, which was defeated by
Islamist rebel forces led by the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant between mid and late 2013. During this time, Nizar al-Khatib formed the Descendents of Messengers Brigade as an offshoot of Ghuraba al-Sham. In January 2014 and February, amid
widespread conflict between ISIL and other rebel groups, including in
northern Aleppo, the Descendents of Messengers Brigade forged an alliance with the
Kurdish Front. In March 2014, the brigade changed its name to the Dawn of Freedom Brigades. On 8 November 2014, a field commander of the Dawn of Freedom Brigades was killed by the
al-Nusra Front. On 24 December, the Grievous Response Force, which included the al-Nusra Front and the Islamic Mujahideen Army, raided the Dawn of Freedom Brigades' headquarters in
Mare'. Al-Nusra captured Wael al-Khatib ("Abu Fuad"), general commander of the group, and several other commanders during the raid. Although most of the Dawn of Freedom Brigades joined the Army of Revolutionaries, its founder, Nizar al-Khatib, did not, and criticized the Army. ==See also==