In March 2018, in response to the Turkish military and allied rebel groups launching a military operation in Afrin, which at the time was held by the Syrian Democratic Forces, Abu Ali announced that Jaysh al-Thuwar would redeploy fighters from fronts with ISIL to fight Turkey and allied forces in Afrin, saying that the decision was made “at a time of international silence in the face of the barbarism of the Turks against civilians.”