Baath Brigades (Syria)
| Ba'ath Brigades كتائب البعث |
|
|---|---|
| Participant in the Syrian Civil War | |
 Ba'ath Brigades SSI and Insignia  Ba'ath Brigades Flag |
|
| Active | Summer 2012 – present |
| Ideology |
Ba'athism, Secularism |
| Founder | Hilal Hilal |
| Leaders |
|
| Headquarters | Aleppo |
| Area of operations | |
| Strength | 7,000 claimed (December 2013) |
| Allies |
 Syrian Armed Forces National Defense Force
|
| Opponents |
 Free Syrian Army Islamic Front al-Nusra Front Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
|
| Battles and wars | |
The Ba'ath Brigades (Arabic: كتائب البعث Katā'ib al-Baʿth), also known as the Ba'ath Battalions, are a volunteer militia made up of Syrian Ba'ath Party members, almost entirely of Sunni Muslims from Syria and many Arab countries, loyal to the Syrian Government of Bashar al-Assad. It was set up in Aleppo under the command of Hilal Hilal, the current Assistant Regional Secretary, after rebels took most of the eastern half of Aleppo in summer 2012. Initially, the Ba'ath Brigades were used to guard government buildings and other key installations in the city, but their role has expanded as their strength has grown from 5,000 members in November 2012 to 7,000 in December 2013. Units have since also formed in Latakia and Tartus. At the end of 2013, the Brigades began deploying in Damascus, tasked with manning checkpoints and conducting "light logistical operations". They spearheaded the assault on the Old City of Aleppo in early 2014.
The Ba'ath Battalions participated in lifting the three-year siege at Kuweires military airbase alongside the elite Cheetah Forces, and National Defence Forces.
On 27 February 2017, Col. Salama Mohammed, a high-ranking Ba'ath Brigades commander and leader of the group's Tartus Governorate branch, was reportedly killed in action while fighting the the area around Hama. Some claimed, however, that Mohammed had instead died of a heart attack.
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