In 2014, the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade began facing accusations made by al-Nusra that the group was an affiliate of ISIL due to a series of reforms made by the group earlier in the year, such as the group changing the flag in its logo to the flag of ISIL and adopting an administrative model similar to that of ISIL. The first claims of the group's affiliation with ISIL did not occur until December 2014, with al-Nusra launching an offensive against the group in response, other groups allied with al-Nusra later joined in on the offensive against the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade confining the group to the towns of Jamla and Shajara. The fighting ended after mediation between al-Nusra and the Yarmouk Martyr's Brigades by the Islamic Muthanna Movement. The claims of allegiance and affiliation with ISIL made by al-Nusra regarding the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade were denied by the Southern Front. However after the clashes with the group's affiliation became more widely known to locals, with one resident of town under the group's control claiming members the group liked the ideology of ISIL and there was a shift in the opinion of its members, the resident also quoted the members as saying "We want their [ISIL] course if they are truthful." However there were no conformations of the group's affiliation or support for ISIL. In an interview a member of the group stated regarding the claims of affiliation with ISIL, "With regards to whether there was a secret connection with respect to the leadership, this I don't know about." The member also added that the group was an Islamist group since its foundation.
