15th Special Forces Division

Role

Syrians used 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 was applied ostensibly because of their specialized training in airborne and air assault operations, but they were regarded as light infantry forces and elite only in relation to the conventional armored and mechanized brigades of the Syrian Army.

Command structure

;15th Special Forces Division (2022)

• 35th Special Forces Regiment
• 44th Special Forces Regiment
• 127th Special Forces Regiment
• 404th Armored Regiment
• 405th Armored Regiment
• 176th Artillery Battalion

Combat history

Holliday wrote in 2013 that "the 15th Special Forces Division is a relatively recent formation, established between the mid-1990s restructuring of Ali Haidar’s former Special Forces Command" and the beginning of the Syrian Civil War.

Since it was founded, the division comprised four regiments under the leadership of Major General Jihad Jaber, the commander of First Corps, and its leader, former Major General Fuad Hamoudeh, Brigadier General Esber Abboud, Brigadier General Ahmed Younis al Oukda, commander of the 404th Tank Regiment, Ahmed el Kousa, commander of the 405th Artillery Regiment, and Brigadier Hassan Aizora, commander of the 44th Special Forces regiment.

Syrian Civil War

Consistent reporting in mid-February 2012 showed that all three regiments of the 15th Special Forces Division had left their bases near the Jordanian border to join the fight in Homs.

The Syrian Government committed at least one Special Forces regiment to Idlib in 2011 and strongly reinforced the region with three additional Special Forces regiments, an armored brigade, and a detachment of 4th Armored Division troops by the spring of 2012. The 76th Armored Brigade and 41st Special Forces Regiment arrived in Idilb by late February 2012, establishing positions in the north and south of Idlib Governorate respectively. Two of the Special Forces regiments that participated in the February 2012 siege of Homs also moved to Idilb, namely, the 15th Division's 35th Special Forces Regiment, which moved to Jisr al-Shughour, where it secured the key line of communication to coastal Latakia, and the 14th Division's 556th Special Forces Regiment, which occupied positions south of Maarrat al-Nu'man. Elements of the 4th Armored Division also moved to northern Syria after the siege of Homs, but it is unclear how long those elite forces remained. Most of the Division's reported activity in the north took place that spring, and it is difficult to see whether activity or reporting tapered off.

In mid-March 2012, troops from the 4th Armored Division, 76th Armored Brigade, and 35th Special Forces Regiment quickly cleared rebels out of Idlib city, but pushed rebels into the surrounding countryside in the process. The operation represented a relatively modest force commitment. Imagery released by the U.S. State Department showed between thirty and thirty-five armored vehicles encircling Idilb in the operation, which represents far less than one brigade's worth of vehicles according to Syrian Army doctrine. Since 2019, the 15th Division was under rebuilding process. It was reorganized and supplied with graduates of the military academies.

Loyalty to the government

Human Rights Watch and Washington Institute reports seemed to confirm the existence of the 15th Special Forces Division, which appeared to have remained steadfastly loyal to the government.

References

References

1. Gregory Waters. (28 March 2024). "- Mohamed Saftly moves from 15th Div to command all Special Forces. Replaced by Suhail Fajr Hassan, fmr 67 Brig commander.".
2. (15 December 2011). "Appendix 1: Structure and Command of Armed Forces and Intelligence Agencies". Human Rights Watch.
3. Gregory Waters. (12 March 2019). "Understanding Syria's Military Deployments in Idlib".
4. (May 8, 2020). "Syrian Army kicks off new operation in Daraa".
5. [https://us.dk/publikationer/2023/april/syria-the-special-forces-and-the-elite-units/ Syria - The Special Forces and the Elite Units]
6. (2013). "The Syrian Army Doctrinal Order of Battle".
7. Holliday, 2013, p.10
8. Gregory Waters. (8 April 2023). "SAA's 531st Battalion/44th Regiment/15th Division downed an HTS drone in Idlib". Twitter.
9. [https://twitter.com/GregoryPWaters/status/1090661053166379008?t=YhsHqcHLNhaLAOXfuoewEw&s=19 Armor depot of the 404th Armored Reg, 15th Special Forces Div.]
10. Holliday, 2013, p.9
11. Gregory Waters. (18 July 2019). "The Lion and The Eagle: The Syrian Arab Army's Destruction and Rebirth".
12. [https://twitter.com/GregoryPWaters/status/1045011379038519296?t=b-otIUhUoOnekVnQ31VBlg&s=19 SAA rebuilding has been ongoing but the 14th & 15th Divs are really messed up (don't even have battalion or brigade numbers anymore) & will likely have to be rebuilt from scratch.]
13. Gregory Waters. (14 June 2019). "This is also planned to be used to rebuild the 14th & 15th Special Forces Divisions and old units of the Republican Guard.".
14. (16 December 2011). "By All Means Necessary!". [[Human Rights Watch]].