Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes

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Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes
Arabic: قوات مقاتلي العشائر, romanized: Quwat Muqatili al-Asha'ir
Leaders
  • Sheikh Turki al Buhamad
  • Ahmad al Buhamad
Dates of operationc. 2013/14 – present
Group(s)
  • Deir ez-Zor branch
  • Homs branch
  • Bayraq al-Suwayda (formerly)[1]
Active regions
Syrian Civil War

The Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes (

Syrian Civil War. Led by Turki al Buhamad, the Fighters of the Tribes played a vital role in the Assad government's efforts to retake central and eastern Syria. The militia is affiliated with the pro-Ba'athist branch of the Arab Socialist Movement, and is closely allied with Russia.[4]

History

The "Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes" were founded by the

continued to fight in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Turki recruited new troops in Homs.[1][5]

The militia's Homs branch took part in operations in the

NDF intervened in order to ensure that they were released.[1]

Later during 2016, the Tribal Army mostly concentrated on operations in and around

ISIL.[1]

Around mid-2017, Turki al Buhamad had managed to recruit another force for the Tribal Army which took part in the

Kobanî while negotiations began between the SDF and government forces for their release.[7][8] Eventually, however, dozens of these tribal fighters decided to join the SDF instead of returning to the government, as they felt that Turki al Buhamad had abandoned them. The commander had allegedly fled during the ISIL counter-attack while leaving his men behind.[7][9]

In August 2017, a pro-Syrian opposition news site reported that members of Turki's militia had been involved in a shootout with another pro-government group, the Desert Commandos Regiment, in Homs. The clash had allegedly resulted from disputes over control of brothels in the city.[10][11] By 2018, the Fighters of the Tribes were considered to be among the most important pro-Russian militias in Syria, and vital to the improving fortunes of the Syrian government.[11] According to Jorf News and Nedaa Syria, the Military Intelligence raided the homes of members of the militia and arrested several on charges of corruption in August 2019. Turki al Buhamad allegedly paid the intelligence agencies around LS 200 million to avoid arrest himself.[12][13]

The group was contributing troops to a

government offensive in northwestern Syria in early 2020.[a]

Organization and recruitment

Besides Turki al Buhamad, the Fighters of the Tribes are also led by his brother Ahmad al Buhamad; both of them are part of the Al Buhamad tribe of Raqqa Governorate. Their militia claims to have thousands of supporters among tribes in central Syria, and its recruits are mostly drawn from eastern Syrian tribal members (such as the Deir ez-Zor and al-Hasakah Governorates), though they also have fighters from the Aleppo, Hama, and as-Suwayda Governorates.[1] Pro-Opposition sources have accused the Fighters of the Tribes of forcibly conscripting and blackmailing people into enlisting.[2] Most of militia's troops are members of the Arab Socialist Movement.[5] In all, the Tribal Army claimed to have about 5,000 fighters by 2017,[1] and are one of the most important tribal militias in Syria.[11][14]

The group is closely allied with and supported by Russia, and is trained by the Russian Armed Forces as well as by Hezbollah fighters.[1] Despite this, the Tribal Army suffers from indiscipline.[10][11] The militia is also influenced by Iran.[11]

See also

Notes

  1. Long War Journal
    , one of pro-government fighters killed during this offensive belonged to the Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes. The militia's emblem can be seen on his photo.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (2 April 2017). "Quwat Muqatili al-Asha'ir: Tribal Auxiliary Forces of the Military Intelligence". Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Tribal Army Militias haggle people of Raqqa countryside for their sons". Nedaa Syria. 9 January 2018. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Carter Center (2017), p. 3.
  4. OCLC 1273727207.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  5. ^ a b c d Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (4 February 2019). "The Arab Socialist Movement: Interview". Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  6. ^ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (10 August 2017). "Suqur al-Furat: A Pro-Assad Sha'itat Tribal Militia". Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  7. ^ a b c "Syrian Regime-Led militias defect and join the Kurdish units". Al-Dorar Al-Shamia. 10 September 2017. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  8. ^ "SDF militias capture armed members of the Syrian regime in the countryside of Raqqa". Nedaa. 29 August 2017. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  9. ^ "Syrian Regime-Led militias defect and join the Kurdish units". Nedaa. 10 September 2017. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Brothels Cause Clashes between the militias of the Syrian regime in Homs". Nedaa. 11 August 2017. Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  11. ^ a b c d e Anton Mardasov (27 August 2018). "Russia eyes role in formation of Syria's National Defense Forces". al-Monitor. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  12. ^ "تركي البوحمد يدفع (200) مليون ليرة رشوة لتجنيبه الاعتقال والمخابرات تواصل حملتها ضد عناصر "جيشه"" [Turki Al-Buhamad pays (200) million pounds a bribe to spare him arrest and intelligence continues its campaign against the elements of his "army"]. Jorf News (in Arabic). 15 August 2019. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  13. ^ "The Assad regime disarmed allied militias after a dispute over lootings". Nedaa Syria. 14 August 2019. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  14. ^ Heydemann (2018), p. 9.

Works cited

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