| In July 2017, a new jihadist group began advertising its presence in northwestern Syria. The outfit, Katibat al Ghuraba, or Katibat al Ghuraba al Turkistan (KGT), claims to be mainly comprised of ethnic Uighurs, but other ethnicities are represented in its ranks as well. It is unclear what its relationship is with the largest ethnic Uighur organization in Syria, the Turkistan Islamic Party, which is affiliated with al Qaeda. However, it has become more prevalent on social media in recent weeks, as it takes part in battles against the Assad regime alongside other jihadist groups. |