[citation needed] According to a spokesperson for the FSA's Supreme Military Council, the 13th Division was funded by sources within Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

[1] The 13th Division originated in March 2012 under the name of the "Slaves of Mercy Brigade" and grew that year to 1,000 men according to its leader Lt. Col. Ahmad al-Saoud, who defected from the Syrian Army.

[1] In December 2013, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) overran a Division 13 base in Kafr Nabl, seizing ammunition and weaponry.

[20] On 13 March 2016, the al-Nusra Front and Jund al-Aqsa seized the headquarters of the 13th Division after an overnight battle for control of Maarrat al-Nu'man.

According to a report released by the Free Syrian Army, Jabhat al-Nusra and Jund al-Aqsa attacked their bases in Ma'arat al-Nu'man, killing 4 of their combatants and wounding as many as 20 others during a fierce battle between the groups.

The Division 13 members stated that they could not hold their ground against al-Qaeda militants, so they surrendered two of their storage facilities that allegedly stored U.S. manufactured TOW anti-tank missiles as well as seizing armored vehicles, a tank, and other arms.

[22] On 18 July 2016, the al-Nusra Front was accused of kidnapping Zaher al-Ahmad, the commander of the division's 56th Infantry Brigade en route from Maarat al-Numan to Aleppo.

[26] Later that day, a ceasefire agreement was signed between the Free Idlib Army and Tahrir al-Sham in the town and the latter ordered the 13th Division to be disbanded.