National Defence Forces

National Defence Forces
قوات الدفاع الوطني

Symbol of the NDF
Active1 November 2012 – present
Country Syria
TypeParamilitary
Auxiliary force
Militia[1][2]
RoleReserve army[3]
Counter-insurgency
Light infantry
Size50,000[4]
Part of Syrian Armed Forces
Garrison/HQ3002 Damascus, Syria (main HQ)
With elements in:
Aleppo Governorate
Hama Governorate
Latakia Governorate
Tartus Governorate
Homs Governorate
al-Hasakah Governorate
Damascus Governorate
As-Suwayda Governorate
Deir ez-Zor Governorate[5]
EquipmentSee List of NDF equipment
Engagements
Commanders
President of SyriaMarshal Bashar al-Assad
Minister of DefenseGen. Ali Mahmoud Abbas
Chief of the General Staff Gen. Abdul Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim
Current CommanderBrig. Gen. Hawash Mohammed[2][6]
Insignia
NDF flag
National Defence Forces
Quwāt ad-Difāʿ al-Watanī
Dates of operation1 November 2012 – present
Group(s)
HeadquartersDamascus
Active regionsSyria
AlliesState allies

Non-state allies

OpponentsState opponents

Non-state opponents

Battles and warsthe Syrian Civil War

The National Defence Forces (NDF; Arabic: قوات الدفاع الوطني Quwāt ad-Difāʿ al-Watanī) is a Syrian pro-government paramilitary volunteer militia, that was formed on 1 November 2012[15] and organized by the Syrian government during the Syrian Civil War as a part-time volunteer reserve component of the Syrian Armed Forces.[16]

The NDF is made of units across various Syrian provinces, each of them consists of local volunteers willing to fight against rebels for various reasons.[5][17]

  1. ^ "The Shia crescendo". The Economist. 28 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-07-10. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b Who are the pro-Assad militias in Syria? Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine Middle East Eye, 25 September 2015
  3. ^ "Insight: Battered by war, Syrian army creates its own replacement". Reuters. 21 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-06-01. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
  4. ^ IISS, The Military Balance 2023 page 354
  5. ^ a b "Syria's Alawite Force Turned Tide for Assad". Wall Street Journal. 26 August 2013. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Szakola, Albin. "Pro-Assad militia says hit by Israel". Archived from the original on 2017-02-18. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  9. ^ a b ""فوج الجولان" و"صقور القنيطرة" صراع خلفه "جمعية البستان"؟" ["The Golan Regiment" and "Hawks of Quneitra" conflict behind the "Bustan Society"]. Almodon. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  10. ^ Leith Aboufadel (2 June 2018). "All pro-government militias to be discontinued after southern Syria offensive: source". al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  11. ^ "Syrian Army beats back jihadist forces in Golan Heights despite Israeli aggression". 25 June 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-06-25. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  12. ^ "Islamic State retreats from Palmyra amid stunning Syrian Army offensive". 2 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  13. ^ "How Iran is Building Its Syrian Hezbollah".
  14. ^ a b "Syrian government, Iraqi reinforcements reach southeast Damascus for upcoming offensive". Archived from the original on 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference iranian-strategy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "SYRIA UPDATE: THE FALL OF AL-QUSAYR". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 2013-06-10. Retrieved Jun 7, 2013.
  17. ^ "Syria's civil war: The regime digs in". The Economist. 15 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2015-10-06.