Deal between Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and the Aleppo People’s Initiative on power station access

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Country/entity: Syria
Region: Middle East and North Africa
Agreement name: Deal between Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and the Aleppo People’s Initiative on power station access
Date: 1 Sep 2012
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/local conflict
Syrian Conflicts (1948 - ) (1976 - 2005) (2011 - )
The agreements relate to three different conflict contexts. Israel-Syria and Syria-Lebanon. The Syrian-Israeli conflict was a key factor for the Syrian intervention during the Lebanese Civil War, with Syrian-backed Palestinian Liberation Army units intervened in 1976 against the Palestinian/Leftist militias. Following a massacre at Tel al-Zaatar that year, Syria was forced to accept a ceasefire at a meeting of the Arab League. However, the Arab League also mandated an Arab Deterrence Force, consisting of mostly Syrian soldiers with token contributions from other Arab League states, thus further legitimizing the Syrian presence in Lebanon. During a second bout of fighting that began in 1989, caused by the formation of rival Lebanese regimes in East and West Beirut, the Syrian-backed regime won and in 1991 the ‘Treaty of Brotherhood, Cooperation and Coordination’ was signed to legalize the Syrian occupation as a means to ensure the security of Syria. Syrian forces were forced to withdraw in 2005 following possible involvement in the assassination of Lebanon’s President Hariri.

Syria-internal. In 2011, domestic upheaval following a wave of protests across the Arab World soon led to violent repression of protestors by Syrian government troops. The violence progressed steadily and by July 2011 the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was formed consisting of defected military units and new recruits. The FSA and rebel umbrella group known as the Syrian National Council represented the first attempt at coordinating rebel factions in late 2011. However, a steady influx of foreign fighters and increased sectarianism radicalised opposition groups, which relied on foreign funding. The nature of the conflict changed drastically in late 2013 as infighting among the opposition groups increased. One of the more significant developments was the split between the al-Qaeda outfits the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS), and Jabhat al-Nusra in early 2014 in addition to the intensified targeting of other rebel factions by ISIS fighters in particular, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, the FSA and other jihadist outfits. Since the summer of 2014, the conflict was further internationalized when ISIS announced the formation of an Islamic state eroding the state line between Iraq and Syria and also in mid-2015 when Russian forces intervened on behalf of the Bashar al-Assad government in Damascus.
Stage: Pre-negotiation/process
Conflict nature: Inter-group
Peace process: Syrian Local Agreements
Parties: Syrian Army;
Governor of Aleppo;
Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, Willayat Aleppo, Western Division;
Third parties: Aleppo People's Initiative, headed by Tariq 'Aturah.
Description: Humanitarian agreement allowing for the evacuation of a wounded soldier from the Aleppo power station, agreement also provides for a 48 hour ceasefire to allow farmers to harvest their crops near the station.

Agreement document: SY_120900_ISIS_Aleppo Deal_EN.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF
Agreement document (original language): SY_120900_ISIS_Aleppo Deal_AR.pdf (opens in new tab)| Download PDF

Local agreement properties

Process type: Isolated example
Rationale: -> Local issues only; no external support mechanism; no culture of signing No formally established-mechanism supported the negotiation between the signing parties. Moreover, this agreement cannot be linked to the national peace process. Indeed, ISIS has a Salafi-Jihadi ideology; it opposes the rule of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and rejects the idea of a national negotiation to solve the conflict. No element can establish a culture solving daily pragmatic issues through agreements. The agreement is related to a highly specific and localised issue. Moreover, the agreement mentions that it aims to "protect the wellbeing of the Muslim employees" and refers to the Syrian army as "the armies of the Apostate State". This agreement is an exception in 2012 as ISIS usually fully reject negotiations with representatives of the Syrian state.
Is there a documented link to a national peace process?: No
Link to national process: articulated rationale: It is complicated to link the agreement to the national peace process in Syria, although it involves central and local governance actors. IS and the Syrian government officially do not recognise each other, it seems that the agreement was pushed by the local community. Also, IS rejects the national peace process, as it would maintain Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian government in power.
Name of Locale: Hurariyya
Nature of Locale: Smaller
GPS Lat/Long (DD): 36.175459, 37.437222
Participant type: Central state actor
Local state actor
Local armed group
Mediator, facilitator or similar: Mediator or similar referred to
Mediator (references): Aleppo People's Initiative
Type of mediator/facilitator/similar: Local armed group Local community/civilian group(s)/civil society organisations

Local issues

Ritual/prayer and process (including use of scripture): Page 1, 2. The Islamic State is exonerated from any responsibility from anyone who reneges on this commitment in front of Allah and the people.

[Summary] use of the term 'apostate' to refer to soldiers of the Syrian regime and the Syrian state.

Page 1, .. and Allah will adjudicate what we say.
Grievance List: Page 1,

For the world to note that soldiers and armies of the Apostate State captured and detained staff in the Hurruriyya Station in the countryside east of Aleppo. In response, soldiers of the Islamic State sniped two [of them], killing one and wounding another. After these events the existing besieged army [in the station] undertook the capture and detainment of the workers inside the station and exposed them to harassment, insults, swearing and threats, and stating that they would not part with those they captured until the entrance of a doctor [to attend] to the wounded soldier. To protect the wellbeing of the Muslim employees, we granted a doctor access and diagnosed the situation of the wounded opponent. After glimpsing the situation and diagnosing it, it appeared that he was in need of a hospital for his treatment, but they refused to release the staff despite them having no relationship to the fighting between both sides.
Cattle rustling/banditry: No specific mention.
Social cover: No specific mention.

Statement

To whom it may concern,

For the world to note that soldiers and armies of the Apostate State captured and detained staff in the Hurruriyya Station in the countryside east of Aleppo.

In response, soldiers of the Islamic State sniped two [of them], killing one and wounding another.

After these events the existing besieged army [in the station] undertook the capture and detainment of the workers inside the station and exposed them to harassment, insults, swearing and threats, and stating that they would not part with those they captured until the entrance of a doctor [to attend] to the wounded soldier.

To protect the wellbeing of the Muslim employees, we granted a doctor access and diagnosed the situation of the wounded opponent.

After glimpsing the situation and diagnosing it, it appeared that he was in need of a hospital for his treatment, but they refused to release the staff despite them having no relationship to the fighting between both sides.

After the call of the Aleppo People's Initiative, headed by Eng.

Tarif ‘Aturah, we entered into a parlay with the besieged army and the Governor of Aleppo, and we agreed on the following:

1. To allow the peasants and farmers from around the station access to their lands.

2. The opposing army commits that no bad will fall upon the employees and commits to their release and that no harm or harassment comes to them in the future.

The Islamic State is exonerated from any responsibility from anyone who reneges on this commitment in front of Allah and the people.

3. The wounded Apostate will exit the station based on the People's initiative with his personal weapons and will hand such weapons over the Islamic State.

During the period of his travel from areas under the influence and control of the Islamic State to the areas of influence and control of the Apostate State, the Islamic State will take care to commit to the these terms unless the agreement is disputed by the apostates.

The farmers are provided 48 hours to harvest their farmed crops, during which there will be a ceasefire between the two sides.

In the case of a breach ending the ceasefire, this agreement is voided.

After this, it is on us to adopt a course of action we see as appropriate with the besieged soldiers ... and Allah will adjudicate what we say.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Willayat Aleppo

Official of the Western Division