 In January 2016, the group published photos of Bulgarian made 82mm mortars that were used to shell government positions.In July 2016 the group announced its support for the Assembly of the Levantine Scholars, which includes notable scholars and ideologues such as Saudi-born cleric Abdullah al-Muhaysini and the al-Nusra commander Abu Maria al-Qahtani as members of the assembly, which brought the group closer to al-Nusra's sphere of influence.In December 2016, a video was released by the group showing its sniping capabilities, with snipers armed with Zijiang M99, M14 EBR, and Dragunov sniper rifles, and the snipers shooting at government fighters.