Download the Detailed Table in PDF [Subject to Updates]
PRO-ASSAD SHIA MILITIAS
Shia Jihadis (Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut, Tehran, IRGC-backed)
In Aleppo
- Junud al-Mahdi
- Liwa Imam al-Baqir,
- Fawj al-Imam al-Hujja,
- Liwa al-Imam Zain al-Abidain
In Damascus and Hama
- Al-Ghalibun,
- Liwa al-Imam al-Mahdi,
- Quwat al-Ridha
In broader Syria
- Hezbollah (mother organization)
- Hezbollah fi Souriya (as of early 2019, Syrian official branch of Hezbollah)
The elite units of
- Tiger Forces
- Regiment Commander Martyr Imad Mugniyah
- Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
- Quds Force (IRGC)
Palestinians (mostly Hamas and Tehran backed)
- Free Palestine Movement
- Galilee Forces
- Fatah al-Intifada
- Saraya (armed wing of Palestinian Democracy Party)
- Liwa al-Quds
Other pro-government groups
In Raqqa and Eastern Syria
- Popular Resistance of the Eastern Region
In government-controlled areas
- Hizb al-Baʿath al-ʿArabī al-Ishtirākī (Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party)
- Shabiha (irregular gangs)
- Mukhabarat (intelligence agencies)
European mercenaries (mostly affiliated to ethno-nationalistic/neo-Nazi groups of “Blood & Honor” and European “Straserists”
- Mavros Krinos, Greek individuals
- Blood & Honor, UK and US individuals
Druze
- Dareh al-Watan
- Jaysh al-Muwahhideen
- Lebayk ya Salman
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ANTI-GOVERNMENTAL GROUPS AND FACTIONS
Kurdish groups
In Northern Syria, Turkey, and Iraq
- Partiya Yekîtiya Demokrat – PYD (Democratic Union Party)
- Ḥdoywotho d’Sutoro d’Amo – YPG (People’s Protection Units) – PYD’s militia
- Yekîneyên Parastina Jin – YPJ (Women’s Protection Units) – PYD’s militia
In Syria and Turkey
- Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê (PKK) – Kurdistan Workers Party
Sunni and Saudi-backed groups (allegedly)
In broader Syria
- Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS; Levantine Liberation Committee) – Al-Qaeda in Syria
- Jabhat Ansar al-Din – also Chechnyan-backed
- Al-Barakh; Wilayat al-Sham – branch of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
- Harakat Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya – also backed by Turkey
In Syria and Egypt
- Muslim Brotherhood in Syria
Sunni rebels
In broader Syria
- Jabhat Tahrir Suriya (Syrian Liberation Front) – backed by Turkey
In Idlib and Aleppo
- Suqour al-Sham Brigades (Hawks of the Levant Brigades)
- Faylaq al-Sham (also in Hama, Homs, and Latakia) – also backed by Turkey and Saudi Arabia
In Daraa
- Jaysh al-Mu’tazz Billah – received TOW Missiles from Jordan
In Idlib and Latakia
- Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria (TIP) – funded by Turkish donations
Western and Saudi-backed collectives
In broader Syria
- Syriac Military Council – Syriac ethnics and Kurdish allegiance
- Free Syrian Army – also backed by Turkey
- Jaysh al-Islam – operating in Aleppo and Damascus
- Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki (also backed by Turkey) – largely defeated and expelled to Afrin
In Northern Syria
- Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – backed by the self-proclaimed ‘Democratic Federation of Northern Syria’
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PRIVATE MILITARY COMPANIES IN SYRIA
- Malhama Tactical (salafi/jihadism, HTS/Turkistan Islamic Party backed, Abu Rofiq’s personal PMC project)
Active in broader Idlib area
- Academi (US company; former Blackwater)
Active in SDF territory
- Slavonic Corps (first PMC appeared in Syria, 2013, ex-Russian elite forces, Hong Kong based company, as of 2015 dissolved
Active in Aleppo
- Wagner Group (major Russian PMC, ex-Russian elite forces and Ukraine veterans)
Active in broader Syria
- Triple Canopy, Inc. (founded by US Army Special Forces veterans; parent company is Constellis Group, formed with former Blackwater)
*This entry is subject to updates.
By the Geopolitical Cyprus Team