80th Division (Syria)

Last updated
80th Division
Emblem of Syria (2025-present).svg
Active2025 - present
Country Syria
Branch Coat of arms of Syria.svg Syrian Army
Area of responsibility Aleppo Governorate
Engagements SDF–Syrian transitional government clashes (2025–present)
Commanders
Current
commander		 Ahmed Mohammed Rizk
Deputy Brigade CommanderMuhammad Naser Tafesh
Chief of StaffKhaled al-Amar

The 80th Division of the Syrian Army, established under the Syrian Transitional Government following the fall of the Assad regime, is responsible for the Aleppo Governorate. The majority of the division's personnel came from the Sunni Islamist Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement, the Turkish-backed National Front for Liberation, and the Mu’tasim Division, with the latter two being formerly part of the Syrian National Army (SNA). [1] [2]

Contents

History

Background

The now integrated groups operated most of the time in the Aleppo area during the Syrian Civil War. [1]

The Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement, from which many members of the unit originate, was accused of multiple human rights violations, including a widely condemned 2016 incident involving the beheading of a child. Reports suggest that this event contributed to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to halt support for Syrian rebel factions during his first term. [3]

After its formation

Social media reports suggest that the division has begun recruiting additional combatants and has conducted special forces training courses, with around 450 participants till July 2025. [1]

The division engaged in sporadic fighting with SDF forces near the Dayr Hafir contact line in 2025. [4]

Structure

The division's commander is Ahmed Mohammed Rizk (Abu Muhammad), who previously led Nour al-Din al-Zenki until 2019 and later on joined Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Sunni Islamist opposition group. [1]

Other high-ranking members of the division include: Chief of Staff Khaled al-Amar (Abu Al-Yaman), who was a former officer in Bashar al-Assad's army and defected in 2012, Brigade Commander Mu’tasim Abbas (Abu Al-Abbas), and Deputy Brigade Commander Muhammad Naser Tafesh. [1]

Part of the division is a special forces brigade. [1]

See also

Other Aleppo-based divisions of the Syrian Army:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Shapira, Boaz (July 2025). "Special Report- The New Syrian Army" (PDF). Alma Research and Education Center.
  2. ↑ Waters, Gregory (28 March 2025). "The New Syrian Army: Structure and Commanders". Syria Revisited. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
  3. ↑ Sharawi, Ahmad (2025-03-20). "Profiles of commanders in the new Syrian army's regional divisions". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  4. ↑ "Syria risks rupturing as armed camps face off across the Euphrates". Reuters. 9 September 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
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