30th_Division_(Syria)

30th Division (Syria)

30th Division (Syria)

Military unit


The 30th Division (Arabic: الفرقة 30 الحرس الجمهوري) is an elite mechanized division of the Republican Guard of Syria, established in 2017.[8][9] Its main purpose is similar to other SRG units, to protect the second largest city of Syria, Aleppo, from any foreign or domestic threats.[5]

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Commanders

  • Maj. Gen. Ziad Ali Salah (January 2017—November 2017)[10]
    • Deputy Commander: Maj. Gen. Zeid Salih
  • Brig. Gen. Malik Aliaa (November 2017—December 2018)[11]
    • Deputy Commander: Brig. Gen. Barakat Ali Barakat[12]
  • Maj. Gen. Barakat Ali Barakat (December 2018—October 2022)[13]
    • Deputy Commander: Brig. Gen. Saleh Abdullah (August 2022—October 2022)
  • Maj. Gen. Saleh Abdullah (October 2022—April 2024)[5]
  • Maj. Gen. Mohamad Saftly (April 2024—present)[14]
    • Deputy Commander: Maj. Gen. Nizar Yunis (May 2023—present)
    • Chief of Staff: Brig. Gen. Yusuf Abd al-Hamid Mahmoud (October 2022—present)

Command structure

As of October 2022, according to Gregory Waters, 30th Division operates six brigades, three special forces regiments and one artillery regiment:[8][5]

30th Division (2022)
  • 16th Storming Brigade[lower-alpha 1][5]
  • 102nd Commando Brigade
  • 106th Mechanized Brigade
  • 123rd Special Forces Brigade[15]
  • 124th Special Forces Brigade[15]
  • 135th Mechanized Brigade[16]
  • 47th Special Forces Regiment[17]
  • 93rd Special Forces Regiment
  • 147th Special Forces Regiment
  • Artillery Regiment

Combat history

The 30th Division was established in January 2017, following the Syrian government’s regain of Aleppo city.[9] According Kheder Khaddour, the 30th Division united Aleppo’s local militias as an umbrella organization and for while retaining their independent operating structures.[9][18] The Republican Guard created the new Division to incorporate all its units in Aleppo under a single nominal command, and to integrate the paramilitary militias in the city (already operating under the Republican Guard supervision) into the Republican Guard organization.[8]

The then-deputy commander of the Republican Guard and overall military commander of the 2016 Aleppo offensive, Maj. Gen. Ziad Ali Salah, was appointed in charge of the 30th Division until November 2017[8] with Major General Zeid Salih as his deputy.[19] In November 2017 Brigadier General Malik Aliaa took over the command, he was later promoted as the new SRG commander.[8][20] In October 2022, Major General Saleh Abdullah was named as a commander of the unit.[21] By 2022, the 30th Division was rebuilt into a regular military unit composed of elite guardsmen.[8][5]

See also

Notes

  1. (created in 2020, part of 30th Division since 2022)

References

  1. "Сколько людей и оружия по обе линии сирийского противостояния". Газета.Ru. Archived from the original on 31 July 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  2. "Syrian regime commander reportedly killed in Turkish drone strike in Aleppo". Rudaw. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  3. Gregory Waters (12 September 2022). "From Tiger Forces to the 16th Brigade: Russia's evolving Syrian proxies". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  4. Gregory Waters (20 November 2019). "Return to the northeast: Syrian Army deployments against Turkish forces". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  5. "Syrian regime commander reportedly killed in Turkish drone strike in Aleppo". Rudaw. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  6. Waters, Gregory (18 July 2019). "The Lion and The Eagle: The Syrian Arab Army's Destruction and Rebirth". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  7. Khaddour, Kheder (5 November 2018). "Syria's Troublesome Militias". Carnegie Middle East Center. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  8. Leith Aboufadel (28 December 2018). "Syrian military names new commander of elite Republican Guard". al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  9. Gregory Waters. "Syria's Republican Guard: growth and fragmentation" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  10. Muhsen al-Mustafa (9 November 2021). "Chain of Command in the Syrian Military: Formal and Informal Tracks". Omran Center for strategic studies. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  11. Gregory Waters (12 May 2020). "Current Syrian Army Deployments". International Review. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  12. Alami, Mona (6 March 2019). "Can Assad's Demobilization, Demilitarization, and Rehabilitation Strategy Actually Consolidate Syria's Paramilitary Forces?". www.washingtoninstitute.org. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  13. Al-Jabassini, Abdullah (14 May 2019). "From Insurgents to Soldiers: The Fifth Assault Corps in Daraa, Southern Syria" (PDF). European University Institute. p. 6. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  14. Aboufadel, Leith (27 October 2017). "Syrian Army announces new commander of elite Republican Guard unit". AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز. Retrieved 4 September 2019.

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