Ahrar al-Sharqiya originated as a unit of Ahrar al-Sham in Deir ez-Zor and continued to function under the banner of Ahrar al-Sham even after the group was expelled from eastern Syria along with their allies including al-Nusra to Idlib and took part in battles against the Syrian government and their allies until 2016 when the group separated itself from Ahrar al-Sham to take part in Operation Euphrates Shield.[7]