5th Corps (Syrian rebel group)


The 5th Corps was an alliance of five Syrian rebel groups that was formed during the Syrian Civil War in September 2014. All five units were affiliated with the Free Syrian Army, used the Syrian independence flag as their symbol, and received BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles from the US-backed “Friends of Syria Group" and the Supreme Military Council.
The 5th Corps was headed by Lieutenant Colonel Fares Bayoush, who also led one of its component groups, the Knights of Justice Brigade. Despite being supported by the US, the group condemned the American-led intervention in Syria against ISIL and the al-Nusra Front. The alliance became defunct by the end of 2014.

Composition

In November 2014, three of the five groups that constituted the 5th Corps joined a new, more Islamist-oriented, rebel alliance called the "Gathering of Rebels in Southern Idlib" based in Maarat al-Nu'man.