Ahrar Al Sham 3.0 [CUP]

[momo12320 13]

 

Introduction:

This is a mod that adds a faction somewhat based on the group known as "Ahrar Al-Sham" & others related to it. The units should be somewhat accurate to their real counterparts though I decided to go for aesthetic over realism at some point. The mod contains 9 factions that are each based on a specific era or source material. The factions are the following: (It also contains some Multicam, Kryptek, and Tubitak uniforms)

1-Urban Cell
2-Rural Cell
3-Lions of War 1
4-Lions of War 2
5-Abu Laith Camp 2016
6-Syrian Liberation Front
7-National Front for Liberation
8-Syrian National Army
9-Al Fath Al-Mubin Operations Room

Link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2698357985

 

Background:

"Ahrar al-Sham is a Sunni Salafist militant group operating in Syria that aims to replace the Assad Regime with an Islamic government. It was formed by former prisoners of the Assad Regime in late 2011 after Assad freed them in an effort to placate religious protestors during the Arab Spring. The group was initially based in the Idlib governorate but quickly expanded throughout Syria."..." The U.S. Director of National Intelligence considers Ahrar al-Sham and Tahrir al-Sham among the most effective Syrian opposition groups."..." Ahrar al-Sham is also known for uniting Islamist opposition forces under larger umbrella organizations. It led the formation of the Syrian Islamic Front (SIF) in 2012 and co-created The Islamic Front in 2013, which had 40,000-70,000 fighters and was Syria’s largest umbrella group."(https://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/523)
 

The In-Game Factions: (Disclaimer I'm not sure if it is correct to use the word cell in this case as I do not think that Ahrar adopted a cell structure for its units. Also, some of the photos are old and I have not had time to update them, so any help with that would be greatly appreciated)

1-Urban Cell:
The urban faction is not necessarily based on any specific unit or image it is mostly inspired by combat footage. The units are equipped with civilian clothing and completely lack any plate carriers or helmets to simulate the nature of urban warfare in which insurgents favor mobility over protection. All of the units use derivatives of the AK platform and follow the same structure of a CFP faction as all of the factions that are to follow. They have the most lethal asset that the faction has which is an RCVBIED.

 

Spoiler

 

 

2-Rural Cell:
This faction aims to emulate a more rural (in this case, desert-dwelling) population. They all wear shemaghs and favor quick and mobile attacks and ambushes. They rely on bikes for transportation. I tried my best to emulate an Arab look to the best of my ability while dealing with a severe lack of authentic MENA assets.

 

Spoiler

3-Lions of War 1:
These units are based on a training camp video showcasing some of Ahrar's special forces. The units are all wearing black uniforms and have their faces covered with balaclavas. They also rely on AKs (A theme that is repeated) and have some locally made vests. They have some variety when it comes to their sniper rifles and were shown to use ghillie suits. The look of the units is unlikely to represent their battlefield condition but that is a concession that needs to be made in the quest for authenticity.

 

Spoiler

4-Lions of War 2*:
These units were based on the second training camp video of the same name that had been released in 2014 as well. I had labeled it incorrectly as Lions of War 2017. They wear locally made balaclavas, and Tubitak uniforms, and have some unique plate carriers. They were also featured with SA23s, but we do not have those, so I went with M3 submachine guns instead.

 

Spoiler

5-Abu Laith Camp 2016:
These units were based on a training camp video around the time of the battle of Aleppo. They wear digitally camouflaged black t-shirts, balaclavas, and Multicam pants. They were shown using both AK47s and AK74s.
 

Spoiler

6-Syrian Liberation Front:
These units were based on an image of Syrian Liberation Front fighters, a group that Ahrar was a part of, they followed the later trends of the war. They have black helmets, Multicam uniforms, and vests. They have some AK74s and some wear Arid Tubitak uniforms.

 

Spoiler

7-National Front for Liberation:
A less standardized rendition compared to their SLF counterparts. They are based on the National Front for Liberation, which Ahrar is part of. They wear a plethora of different uniforms and an assortment of headgear. They were based on footage from the battle for Al Nairab and have some ACV-15s at their disposal.
 

Spoiler

8-Al Fath Al Mubin Operations Room:
A more standardized rendition compared to their NLF counterparts. They are based on the Al Fath Al Mubin, which Ahrar is indirectly part of as they are part of the NLF which is in it. They wear different variants of Kryptek uniforms and an assortment of headgear. They are based on some of the later pictures published by Ahrar and partially based on some HTS units.

9-Syrian National Army:
One of the most modern renditions of rebel troops. They are based on the SNA, which Ahrar is part of as part of the NLF. They wear Multicam and Kryptek uniforms and helmets. They have the largest arsenal of weaponry and have Turkish support at their disposal in the form of ACV-15s, TOW2s, and M60A3s crewed by the Turks.

 

Spoiler

Most factions rely on the Hilux as their main vehicle or a motorcycle. The Urban faction is no different, additionally, they have an RCVBIED based on a BMP1 chassis (You need a drone terminal to access it). Ahrar is reportedly responsible for half of the RCVBIEDs used throughout the war (https://hugokaaman.com/2019/10/01/the-myth-of-the-remote-controlled-car-bomb/).

 

Requirements:

 

-CUP

-CFP

-[R] Syrian and Iraqi civil war insignia

 

Concessions:

-It is quite difficult to accurately portray the apparel and some of the equipment that may have been used in real life due to the lack of appropriate Arma 3 assets + modded assets and the difficulty of finding gear that does not clip other gear.

-Many of the units were based on training camp footage, thus they are even less accurate and portray a best-case scenario. Others are based on trends rather than actual photographic evidence and thus are extreme best-case scenarios.

-Until a future update, there is no equipment randomization.
 

Disclaimers:

-The faction is Zeus compatible. All you need is CUP, CFP, and R-insignias.

-"Since December 2015, the UN Security Council has been trying to assemble a list of terrorist groups in Syria. Russia, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and the UAE support classifying Ahrar al-Sham as a terrorist group, but they have not been able to achieve a unanimous consensus"(https://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/523)

-I do not in any way condone terrorism, terrorists, terror groups, or any of the like. This is only a mod for a video game that aims to enhance the gameplay by providing a faction that can fit a certain theme.

-This faction was created using the Alive Orbatron Creator and is completely dependent on CUP and CFP. 

-Have a nice day and remember to post any suggestions and I will try my best to address them.
 

Credits

-A big thank you to Alias for allowing me to use his JDAM script for the RCVBIED. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=760076984

-Thank you MrPenguin20 from Wikipedia for your creation of the logo.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Logo_of_Ahrar_al-Sham.svg

-Thank you to b3lx for allowing me to use his assets although I have not done so yet. ;/