drop of blood". Since February 2016, the group suffered a series of internal splits. On 27 February, a number of its fighters defected from the group, accusing it of corruption, "betraying the blood of martyrs", "serving personal interests", "unmatched selfishness", and "forgetting the goals of the real revolution". They also accused leaders of the group of being affiliated with Kurdish parties "unpatriotic toward the Syrian Revolution", marginalizing "free Kurdish fighters" and replacing them with "paid mercenaries", and "political coordination" with the SDF's Army of Revolutionaries. In March, Mohammed Hawash, the group's military commander, defected after he accused the group of collaborating with the Kurdish National Council. Hawash called the 99th Division, which the Descendants of Saladin Brigade joined, a "dirty formation". In March 2016 Ahrar ash-Sham ordered the group to take down the flag of Kurdistan from its headquarters and threatened military force. However, the group's commander, Mahmoud Khallo, denied the incident ever occurred and claimed Ahrar ash-Sham to be its ally. At the time, the Descendants of Saladin Brigade was part of the United States-led Syrian Train and Equip Program, though the group said that the support it received from the United States fell short of what was actually needed. The Descendants of Saladin Brigade participated in the offensive to capture the city of al-Bab and the town of Qabasin as part of Operation Euphrates Shield in late 2016 and early 2017. As part of its participation, the group requested Turkey to allow the flag of Kurdistan to be raised in Qabasin. On 3 April 2017, Ahrar al-Sham reportedly attacked the group in Qabasin and captured more than 8 of their fighters, including a commander. Hours later, the prisoners were released after negotiations, although tensions between the two groups remain. On 15 May 2017, the commander of the group, Mahmoud Khallo, was arrested by Turkey. This "soured" the group's relations with Turkey. On 3 July 2017, Mahmoud Khallo declared that his unit would not participate in a planned Turkish-led offensive against the SDF in the Afrin Canton and the Shahba region. Following the announcement, the group was attacked by multiple Turkish-backed groups, which captured the group's positions and warehouses with vehicles, weapons, and equipment. On 5 July, a Facebook page which claimed to represent the group disavowed Khallo and vowed to continue to fight against the SDF alongside other Turkish-backed rebel groups. On 14 July, Khallo himself was captured