Liwa al-Quds
لواء القدس
ActiveSeptember 2013–present[1]
Country Syria
AllegianceMilitary of Syria
Branch5th Assault Corps of the Syrian Army
TypeCommando
RoleShock troops
Close-quarters combat
Counter-insurgency
Counter-terrorism
Sizec. 3,500-5,000 (2020)[2]
Garrison/HQAleppo, Daraa[3][4]
Engagements
Commanders
Current CommanderCol. Muhammad al-Sa'eed (a.k.a. "The Engineer")[4]
Col. Mohammad Rafi †[5]
(operations commander)[6]

Liwa al-Quds (Arabic: لواء القدس) or the Jerusalem Brigade is a predominantly Syrian Palestinian brigade that operates as a part of pro-Syrian government forces in the Syrian Civil War. Since 2019, it is part of the Syrian Army's 5th Assault Corps.[3] It was formed in 2013 by the engineer Muhammad al-Sa'eed. The fighters who call themselves the 'Syrian Arab Army Fedayeen' are active in Aleppo and Daraa.[3] The brigade is composed of Sunni Palestinians from the al-Nayrab district and the former refugee camp Handarat as well as reconciled rebels.[1]

Command structure

Al-Quds Brigade (2021)
  • Lions of al-Quds Battalion[3]
  • Defenders of Aleppo Battalion[7]
  • Deterrence Battalion[4]
  • Lions of al-Shahba Battalion[8]

Combat history

The militia was founded in 2013, reportedly with the support of the Air Force Intelligence Directorate. Syrian opposition supporters regard them as Shabiha.[9]

By the beginning of 2015, the group had suffered 200 killed and over 400 wounded since its establishment.[4] The group supported the Syrian Army in its effort to reopen the main supply line to Aleppo in late 2015.[10]

By mid-2016, it had become one of the most important pro-government militias in Aleppo Governorate. On 20 June 2016, the militia took part in a prisoner exchange with three rebel factions, namely the Sultan Murad Division, the Muntasir Billah Brigade, and the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement, in coordination with Ahrar al-Sham.[9]

In June 2017, Liwa al-Quds launched a recruitment campaign in Homs Governorate, where it aimed at enlisting young Palestinian refugees.[11][12]

In May 2018 Liwa al-Quds was fighting against the ISIL pocket in the desert of Deir ez-Zor Governorate as a part of joint operation with the NDF and SAA forces. Liwa al-Quds captured village of Faydat Umm Muwaynah.[13]

In July 2018, Samer Rafe, a prominent commander of the militia, was arrested in Latakia after a firefight with government forces. He had previously been arrested on charges of robbery in Aleppo, confessed to the charges, and served a prison term of one year before being released.[14]

In the first half of 2019, Liwa al-Quds suffered heavy casualties on multiple fronts, most notably during Operation Dawn of Idlib.[15]

Compostition

The brigade has both Syrian Palestinian as well as native Syrian members.[9] The militia has close connections to both Iran and Russia, and is supplied as well as trained by the Russian Armed Forces.[15][16] Its fighters refer to themselves as "Syrian Arab Army Fedayeen", showcasing their loyalty to the Syrian military.[15] Before the government victory in the Battle of Aleppo, the brigade consisted of three main battalions, which are: Lions of al-Quds Battalion, which operated in al-Nayrab camp and its surrounding as well as in southern and eastern countryside of Aleppo; the Deterrence Battalion, which operated in the north Aleppo countryside south of the villages of Nubl and Al-Zahraa; and the Lions of al-Shahba' Battalion, which operated inside Aleppo city.

By 2018, the group had started recruiting former Syrian rebels that agreed to join pro-government military units as part of reconciliation deals with the Syrian government. More than 150 former Free Syrian Army fighters had joined Liwa al-Quds by 2019. They received military training and supervision from Russian officers during the first quarter of 2019.[17] In fall 2019, Liwa al-Quds became part of the Syrian Army's 5th Assault Corps as autonomous brigade.[18][19]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "The Jamestown Foundation: October 2014 Briefs". The Jamestown Foundation.
  2. ↑ "Country information and guidance: the Syrian civil war, Syria, August 2020" (PDF). 10 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Al-Jabassini, Abdullah (2019). From Insurgents to Soldiers: The Fifth Assault Corps in Daraa, Southern Syria. Wartime and Post-Conflict in Syria. European University Institute. ISBN 978-92-9084-767-0.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Syria Comment » Archives Overview of some pro-Assad Militias - Syria Comment". Syria Comment. Archived from the original on 2016-08-10. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
  5. ↑ Chris Tomson (28 November 2016). "Senior Palestinian paramilitary commander killed by rebel forces in Aleppo". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Russian influence evident in Palestinian militia in Syria". Long War Journal. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "The Palestinian al-Quds Brigade has a new Iran-backed militia for fighting in Aleppo". Al-Dorar al-Shamia. 20 June 2017. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  8. ↑ "The Palestinian al-Quds Brigade has a new Iran-backed militia for fighting in Aleppo". Al-Dorar al-Shamia. 20 June 2017. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 "Rebels, regime made prisoner swap in Aleppo: source". Zaman al-Wasl. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  10. ↑ Leith Fadel (24 October 2015). "Breaking: Syrian Army Reopens the Ithriyah-Salamiyah Road in East Hama After Defeating ISIS". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Liwa al Quds militia Recruits Palestinian refugees of Homs". Al-Dorar Al-Shamia. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  12. ↑ "موقع المقاومة الإسلامية عصائب أهل الحق - العصائب وكسر الأسوار". ahlualhaq.com. Archived from the original on 2018-06-24. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  13. ↑ Aboufadel, Leith (7 May 2018). "Syrian Army launches massive assault in western Deir Ezzor, liberates large area". Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  14. ↑ "Member of AlQuds Brigade Arrested by Gov't Forces". Action Group for Palestinians of Syria. 1 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 Caleb Weiss (3 June 2019). "Palestinian militia reports high number of fatalities on Syria's frontlines". Long War Journal. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  16. ↑ "Liwa al-Quds, the Sunni face of Iran-backed militias". en.zamanalwsl.net. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  17. ↑ al-Khateb, Khaled (2019-06-13). "Ex-FSA fighters recruited by Damascus to fight opposition in northern Syria". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
  18. ↑ "Liwa al-Quds Conscript Reconciliations Fighters and Loses Them in Hama". The Syrian Observer. 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
  19. ↑ وعالم, المدن-عرب. ""لواء القدس" يُجنّدُ مقاتلي "المصالحات".. ويخسرهم في حماة". almodon (in Arabic). Retrieved 2019-06-16.
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