page_title: Northern Democratic Brigade
section_title: Ideology
hierarchical_section_title: Northern Democratic Brigade / Ideology
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Combattants des groupes Jaych al-Thuwar et Liwa Chamal al-Democrati, affiliés aux Forces démocratiques syriennes (FDS), au stade de Raqqa, le 6 mars 2018. Abou Omar al-Idlebi, un commandant des FDS annonce alors le déploiement de 1700 combattants des FDS à Afrine contre la Turquie. 1 2 3
context_page_description: The Northern Democratic Brigade is a Free Syrian Army unit, led by Alexander Khalil, that is closely allied to the Syrian Kurdish YPG and YPJ in Afrin Canton since 2014. It also joined the Syrian Democratic Forces in November 2015. The initial members of the group originated from Jabal Zawiya in Idlib, and it has recruited Arabs from Idlib, Aleppo, and other cities in northern Syria since allying with the YPG.
context_section_description: The Northern Democratic Brigade portrays itself as Syrian nationalist group that wants to ensure a "colorful and democratic Syria on the basis of co-existence and justice" and thus rejects authoritarianism and Islamism. The militia has also voiced support for the federalization of Syria. As result, it is opposed to both the al-Assad family's rule as well as much of the Syrian opposition, believing that the latter has betrayed the Syrian revolution by allying with Islamist forces. The group also rejects the influence of Turkey and the Gulf states on the Syrian rebels, as it considers these states to be primarily motivated by self-interest instead of genuinely supporting the revolution. The Northern Democratic Brigade believes that Turkey's interventions in the Syrian Civil War are motivated by imperialistic ambitions (Neo-Ottomanism) and has accused it of supporting Jihadists, including ex-ISIL forces.
  After allying with the YPG, the militia aligned its ideology with that of the YPG, namely the political thought of PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan. Supportive news sites, most notably Point Media, often show Northern Democratic Brigade fighters waving the Syrian independence flag, but also Öcalan and YPG flags. This has "endeared them to many of the Kurds they work with", but also generated much opposition from other Syrian rebel groups. Furthermore, the Northern Democratic Brigade has joined the left-wing, multi-ethnic Syrian National Democratic Alliance, a party that is active in the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria. The militia, along with several other SDF groups in the area, attended the second conference of the Syrian National Democratic Alliance in Afrin in late May 2017. The militia aligned itself with the Syria Future Party sometime after the latter's foundation in March 2018.
caption: Fighters of the Northern Democratic Brigade and Army of Revolutionaries in Raqqa, March 2018
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