On 8 November 2014, a field commander of the Dawn of Freedom Brigades was killed by the al-Nusra Front.[10] On 18 November, Nizar al-Khatib ("Abu Laith") was replaced by Hasan al-Banawi ("Abu Juma") as the leader of the coalition due to "health issues" of al-Khatib.[3]
On 5 December 2014, the Supporters of Dawn of Freedom Brigade based in Idlib defected from the Dawn of Freedom Brigades.[16] On 24 December, the Grievous Response Force, which included the al-Nusra Front and the Islamic Mujahideen Army, raided the Dawn of Freedom Brigades' headquarters in Mare'. Al-Nusra captured Wael al-Khatib ("Abu Fuad"), general commander of the group, and several other commanders during the raid.[5]