Syrian government forces said they had withdrawn from Hama on Thursday, a strategic city with supply lines to loyalist coastal strongholds. In any attempt to retake the city, one army unit could be critical for the decisive battle: the Tiger Forces, whose members mostly hail from the governorate of the same name.
The unit, often called an elite military formation, is in fact mainly composed of local militias with a core of at least 4,000 fighters linked to the feared Syrian air force intelligence, formerly headed by Jamil Al Hasan, according to researcher Gregory Waters.
Al Hasan is wanted by France and Germany over the alleged murder of civilians, including dual-citizens, in Syria’s civil war, and has been sanctioned by the US and EU.
"The tiger forces are supposed to be elite forces. But really, to Syrians, they're just known as brutal and quite cruel forces," says Natasha Hall, an expert on Syria and Senior Fellow at Center for Strategic and International Studies.
During the worst periods of fighting, the unit – designated the 25th Special Missions Division in 2019 – was used as a “fire brigade” outfit, moving rapidly from crisis to crisis as the government was assailed by a number of localised uprisings.
Those occurred first under the banner of the Free Syrian Army in the summer of 2011 and then a mix of competing and increasingly extreme groups, edging out secular opposition, later including ISIS and Jabhat Al Nusra. The latter group, formerly linked to Al Qaeda, is designated a terror organisation by the EU and US, but has attempted to agressively rebrand as a moderate force.
The uprising was sparked by government crackdowns that included the Tiger Forces, which according to the Global Public Policy Institute, a think tank, were “credited with pioneering the use of barrel bombs in the early years of the war”, improvised explosive devices rolled out of helicopters to devastate districts in towns such as Deraa.
According to Mr Waters, who has closely tracked the evolution of the force, its members are recruited mostly from Hama, and while most are from Syria’s Alawite minority, the kin of President Bashar Al Assad, it has small numbers of Christian, Ismaili Shiites and Sunni recruits.
But it is far from representative of the population, Ms Hall says. She explains that the unit has joined the ranks of much of the Syrian army, which has collapsed into countless militias, with groups such as the Shabiha, now the National Defence Forces, often paid by looting or other criminal activities.
"The Syrian Arab Army has been hollowed out since I would say 2012, there is mandatory conscription. So most men, aside from those who are only children, have been in the military in some capacity in their life, but there were mass defections early on."
"So it took some time for the Syrian military, the regime, to recuperate. What they did, as other regimes have done in the past, like Sudan with Janjaweed, is essentially rounded up militias and thugs to create new forces."
Oded Berkowitz, an expert on militia tactics in Middle East conflict, says the rapid withdrawal by government forces in Hama is an attempt to concentrate defences.
"Being able to consolidate a defensive line with depth and reserves that are now closer will negate one of the rebels’ primary advantages in manoeuvre, which was surprise. The initial surprise of the rapid advance is now gone," he said.
He does not rule out a complete collapse of the Syrian army in Hama, however, and says the next critical battle could be around Homs, which he envisages as a possible Aleppo-style siege.
The local base of support for the Tiger Forces, combined with what analysts say is a close working relationship with Russian advisers, means its performance in the battle of Hama is a litmus test of how Damascus will weather the latest uprising. According to security researcher Nicole Grajewski, the unit has also been given T-90 tanks, Russia’s premier export armoured vehicle.
So far, things are not looking positive for the formation, having lost its headquarters in Aleppo in the Hayat Tahir Al Sham-led offensive last week, and now losing the city of Hama. The unit does not appear to have fought significant battles in Aleppo, where the 30th Division crumbled quickly.
Along with the Tiger Forces, another unit that has worked closely with Russia is the Fifth Corps, a formation put together at the height of the civil war in 2016, with many “reconciled” former rebels from Deraa governorate. It has taken part in offensives before in Idlib, but in the latest round of fighting appears to have abandoned a large number of tanks, according to open-source analysis by Oryx, a team of researchers tracking losses in conflict, which responded to a question from The National.
The Third Corps, which fought in Lebanon against Israel in the 1980s and had its 47th Armoured Brigade bombed by Israeli jets last month, is also partially garrisoned in Hama. All of these units possess various Soviet-era tanks, scores of which have been seen abandoned in videos on social media on roads between Aleppo and Hama, according to Oryx.
Finally, the Fourth Division, a unit accused by the US of links to drug-smuggling and militias has also been thrown into the fray. But these units cannot be thought of in the conventional military sense, where a division has a standardised number of platoons, companies, battalions and regiments, a pyramid structure that goes up to the roughly 10,000-20,000 soldier division.
"This is not like an army in the traditional military sense, at one point they probably were," says Ms Hall, before the gradual collapse of Syria's military and economic power, which led to widespread disorganisation in the army.
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%3A
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
JERSEY INFO
Red Jersey
General Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the leader of the General Classification by time.
Green Jersey
Points Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the fastest sprinter, who has obtained the best positions in each stage and intermediate sprints.
White Jersey
Young Rider Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the best young rider born after January 1, 1995 in the overall classification by time (U25).
Black Jersey
Intermediate Sprint Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the rider who has gained the most Intermediate Sprint Points.
The%20specs
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