Illustrative image. (Syrian Interior Ministry)
Twaq, a military media group affiliated with the Syrian military’s 82nd Special Forces Division, on January 31 released a video documenting some of its recent operations during the government offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeastern region of the country earlier this month.
The four-minute video, titled “Moment of Separation,” shows fighters from the group and other formations of the division ambushing SDF fighters, storming a fortified position of the group, and blowing up some of its tunnels. At a certain point of the video, a fighter from the SDF is seen surrendering, the direction of the camera shifts and gun shots are heard, which indicate that he was executed.
These operations likely took place between the countryside of Aleppo and Raqqa, where the division was mainly active during the offensive that was halted by a ceasefire announced on January 20.
The 82nd Special Forces Division is mainly made up of fighters and commanders, including foreigners, from the al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar al-Tawhid. The division was in fact one of several established after the fall of the regime of former president Bashar al-Assad to integrate radical jihadist groups into the new Syrian military.
The division is led by Khaled Muhammad Halabi, also known by his nom de guerre “Abu Khattab,” who was the commander of Ansar al-Tawhid.
Last year, the 82nd Special Forces Division took part in the March massacres against the Alawite community on the Syrian coast, in which more than 1,400 civilians were killed, and the July attack on the Druze community in al-Suwayda, which claimed the lives of 3,000 people.
Many of the division troops were documented taking part in war crimes. Still, even after an investigation by the government, there is no evidence that any of these troops was held accountable.
Not only this, the 82nd Special Forces Division maintained a presence on the coast well after the massacre, and as seen recently, it was sent to lead the offensive against the SDF in the countryside of Aleppo and Raqqa.
The latest offensive against the SDF was not, however, without losses for the jihadist division. Three of its top commanders, Ibrahim Abu Mousa, Abu Abdul Rahman Kafrawid, and Taha Abu Bassam, were among at least eight killed in an ambush by Kurdish fighters that took place somewhere in the Raqqa countryside, reportedly close to the town of Ain Issa, between June 17 and 18.
Abu Abdul Rahman Kafrawid, and Taha Abu Bassam. Click to see full-size image. (Telegram)
Ibrahim Abu Mousa. Click to see full-size image. (Telegram)
Interestingly, Twaq released on January 23 a one-minute video titled “Leaders chosen by God to defend His law” to mourn the three leaders and other fighters from the 82nd Special Forces Division who were killed during the offensive against the SDF.
The video features an old audio message by al-Qaeda founder leader Osama bin Laden mourning Abu Musab al-Zarqawi after he was killed by the United States in Iraq in 2007.
It’s worth noting that one of the 82nd Special Forces Division foreign fighters, Egyptian national Abu Musab al-Masri, was killed by Syrian security forces while trying to free relatives of ISIS fighters from al-Hawl camp in al-Hasakah countryside sometime between June 26 and 27.
Abu Musab al-Masri. Click to see full-size image. (Telegram)
Overall, the 82nd Special Forces Division is currently one of the most radical formations within the new Syrian military.
The last battle in northeastern Syria shows that while the integration of groups like Ansar al-Tawhid into the military was promoted as a way to contain them, the influence of these groups may be in fact growing, as evident by the 82nd Special Forces Division maintaining its own media unit.
This has clearly become a problem to the government itself. The attempt to free ISIS relatives from al-Hawl camp is an example. It is unclear, however, if the government has the will or ability to deal with this growing issue.
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taking into account what trump revealed and the testimony of the venezuelan guard, it is safe to assume that the u.s. military employed multiple systems at the same time to facilitate its operation in caracas. attributing all of these effects to a single system is unrealistic.
.…………………………… https://psee.io/8jqu9r
venezuela has never been a threat to to the us. like alaska is a threat to canada
the name jihadist was created by 911? who funds these magik militias that appear for media theater repetition. the kurds may now share the same world status as palestinians