14th Special Forces Division | |
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فرقة القوات الخاصة الرابعة عشرة | |
![]() Syrian Special Forces Patch | |
Active | early 1990s – present |
Country | ![]() |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | Special forces |
Role | Close-quarters combat Counter-insurgency Counter-terrorism Direct action Raiding Reconnaissance Special operations Unconventional warfare Urban warfare |
Size | 3 regiments |
Garrison/HQ | Damascus |
Tactical color marking | ![]() |
Engagements | |
Commanders | |
Current Commander | Maj. Gen. Ali Asaad |
Notable commanders | Maj. Gen. Ali Haydar Maj. Gen. Bassel al-Assad Maj. Gen. Mufid Hassan [3] Maj. Gen. Fuad Masaoud [4] |
The 14th Special Forces Division is a division of the Syrian Armed Forces specializing in light infantry operations. [5] The Division is part of the Syrian Army's 2nd Corps.
Syrians use the term 'Special Forces' to describe the 14th, 15th divisions, as well as the independent 'special forces' regiments, but they more closely resemble conventional light infantry units, than Western Special Forces in both mission and composition.
The term Special Forces has been applied ostensibly because of their specialized training in airborne and air assault operations, but they should be regarded as light infantry forces and elite only in relation to the conventional armored and mechanized brigades of the Syrian Army. [6]
Women special military forces from the Defense Companies in the '70s and early '80s ate live snakes as part of their training while children being trained in paramilitary activities were trained to stab live puppies to death. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] Syrian special forces also ate live scorpions, live snakes, and live puppies during training. [16] Syrian soldiers are also trained to handle vipers. [17]
The 14th Special Forces Division was established to command three Special Forces Regiments after the mid 1990s restructuring of Ali Haydar’s consolidated Special Forces Command. [18]
Haydar's Special Forces expanded in size to 25,000 men, and formed a key part of the Syrian government's security apparatus. The Special Forces were trained in airborne operations, and were rivaled on power only by the Defense Companies controlled by Hafez's brother, Rifaat. As such, the 14th Division became a strong counter-weight to the Defense Companies, as both these formations were largely airborne divisions.
Traditionally they are recruited from the Alawite sect to ensure loyalty to the government. Intelligence sources state it is likely that such units are involved in crushing popular dissent and neutralizing ringleaders. [19]
Under the command of Ali Haidar, the Special Forces units were deployed to Lebanon as part of the Syrian intervention in the Lebanese Civil War. It provided support to Kamal Jumblatt and in some cases cooperating with the Lebanese National Movement and Lebanese National Resistance Front. During the war they engaged with PLO units under the command of Yasser Arafat. [20]
The government committed much of the 14th Special Forces Division to the assault of Homs, in which it fought some of the strongest rebel positions of Homs’ southwest Baba Amr, Inshaat, and Jobar neighborhoods. [21]
Opposition reports specifically cited activity from the 556th Special Forces Regiment, but most frequently cited the 14th Special Forces Division generally. Activity was reported in different parts of the city during similar time-frames, suggesting that at least one additional regiment from the 14th Special Forces was involved in the operation of recapturing Homs.
Since 2019, it was reorganized and rebuild with new graduates of the military academies. [22] The old battalions and brigades were destroyed, and had to be rebuilt from scratch. [23]
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Hafez al-Assad was a Syrian statesman, military officer and revolutionary who served as the 18th president of Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000. He had previously served as prime minister of Syria from 1970 to 1971 as well as regional secretary of the regional command of the Syrian regional branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and secretary general of the National Command of the Ba'ath Party from 1970 to 2000. Hafez al-Assad was a key participant in the 1963 Syrian coup d'état, which brought the Syrian regional branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party to power in the country.
Rifaat Ali al-Assad is the younger brother of the late President of Syria, Hafez al-Assad, and Jamil al-Assad, and the uncle of the incumbent President Bashar al-Assad. He was the commanding officer of the ground operations of the 1982 Hama massacre ordered by Hafez al-Assad.
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