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العربية
Assad’s forces and their militias control the neighborhoods of al-Jorah, al-Qusour, al-Mowaddafin, Harabesh, al-Tahtouh in al-Sina’a District, al-Kasr area, a very small part of al-Howaiqa and al-Roshdeyah neighborhoods, less than half of al-Jbaila neighborhood, a large part of al-Jufrah village, and the Corniche road which goes from Furat al-Sham Hotel to the Heart Hospital and down to the launch pad. In addition to Deir Ezzor military airport, a small part of Thardah Mountains, the Jabal area, the Highway of Deir Ezzor-Damascus and down to the Panorama roundabout, the headquarters of Brigade 137 and some hills nearby, and also Furat al-Sham Hotel, al-Masaken, and the Rowwad hill in al-Bugheliyah village. Where all the areas controlled by Assad’s forces are besieged by Daesh from all sides.
Assad’s forces are bringing the military reinforcements to their controlled areas, which consist of weapons, ammunition, food and fuel. They are delivered via helicopters and cargo planes, which drop shipments of food, fuel and ammunition by parachutes.
Assad’s forces include a combination of the army members of conscripts, volunteers, reservists, members from other provinces who were arrested and recruited into the ranks of these forces. Prisoners of security branches and civilian prisons, a large number of people from the city who volunteered to fight in the ranks of militias allied to the Assad’s forces.
Most of the Assad militias’ leaders reside in apartments, in the Municipal Villas area in al-Qusour neighborhood, near the Dalla roundabout, Including; Maj. Gen. Hassan al-Mohammad, who is the commander of Division 17 and the general commander of the forces in the eastern province and who is known by his criminality, also the house of the criminal Brigadier Essam Zahrdin, the commander of the Republican Guard, in addition to villas for officers in the Republican Guard, villa of Firas al-Iraqia the leader of National defense militia, and villa for the leaders of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.
Here is a list of Assad’s forces and their militias and Shabiha in Deir Ezzor, whose number is estimated to be ten thousand members, and are fighting Daesh on multiple different front lines in Deir Ezzor.
First, militia of National Defense: it is the largest militia in terms of the members number. It includes volunteers from the city and some from the countryside, and a large number of forced recruits. This militia is led by “Firas al-Iraqia”, who runs the trade of contraband food in besieged neighborhoods, through smuggling crossings, where his assistant “Mohammed Abdullah,” which runs a network of smugglers, receives all materials from the smuggling crossings, and sells them to dealers, and then to the people for very high prices. The headquarters of this militia is the Farmers Union building in al-Jura district, and it has another branch called the National defense battalion, it is specialized in intrusions and support under the leadership of “Emad Muhanna” and this battalion’s headquarters is in Sahara Compound in al-Jura district. The national defense militia has another branch in Harabesh district.
National Defense militia includes people from the Busraya tribe who fled from the western countryside of Deir Ezzor during their fight against Daesh.
Secondly, the Tribe Army militia (al-Shaitat) which was formed by the sons of the al-Shaitat tribe, who fled fighting against Daesh in the countryside of Deir Ezzor. This militia is led by “Abdel-Sattar,” and after the death of the former leader of the militia, “Abdel Basset”; this militia became affiliated to gangs of the Republican Guard, led by Brigadier “Issam Zahreddine.”
The members’ number from al-Shaitat clan is less than forty members, where most of them were killed in clashes with Daesh, and a number of members fled outside the Assad’s forces control areas, while leaving the besieged neighborhoods by helicopters and did not return. Also a number of people from Deir Ezzor city joined this militia, and the headquarters of this militia is a secondary school for girls in al-Jura neighborhood on the Prison Street.
Third, the Lebanese Hezbollah militia which is led by a number of members of Hezbollah, of sectarian Lebanese persons, and includes a number of Lebanese fighters, a number of people from Deir Ezzor city and from villages of Hatla and al-Jufrah. The headquarters of the militia is the Development Directorate building near the military airport of Deir Ezzor.
Fourth, the militia of Imam Zain al-Abidin, one of the sectarian militias and calling themselves the Islamic Resistance, and follow to the Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the leaders of this militia are from Hatla Village. This militia includes a number of people from Deir Ezzor city and the villages of Hatla and al-Jufrah, and the headquarter of this militia is in villas which are in front of Deir Ezzor’s central prison in al-Jura neighborhood.
Fifth, militia of Eternal Leader’s Lions, this militia is affiliated to the military security branch in Deir Ezzor, and is led by “Hussein Ali Ahmed,” who has arrested a large number of young people from the city and enlisted them compulsorily, while a number of citizens of the city have volunteered to this militia. The headquarter of the militia is the Sports Institute building behind the military security building in Ghazi Ayyash area.
Sixth, the Lions of the Euphrates, which is affiliated to the State Security branch in Deir Ezzor. It includes a number of people from the city of Deir Ezzor and a number of young people who have been forcibly enlisted, and the headquarter of this militia is the State Security Branch.
Seventh, the Air Forces Eagles, comprises a number of members from Deir Ezzor city who volunteered in this militia, and is affiliated to the Air Force Intelligence branch in Deir Ezzor. The headquarter of this militia is the Air Force Intelligence branch, and has another branch near the Assad Hospital on the Deir Ezzor-Damascus Highway.
Eighth, the Baath Battalions, affiliated to the Baath Party, and the headquarter of the militia is the Youth Union building in al-Qusour neighborhood. The number of members of this militia is few, and their work is limited to acts of the guard, especially the safeguard of granaries in al-Jura neighborhood.
Ninth, prisoners of security branches and civilian prisons, especially prisoners of Adra Prison, they are civilians convicted of murder, robbery, drug, or smuggling, and they are sentenced to prison for ten years or more or life sentence, where the Assad forces brought them to the city of Deir Ezzor to fight in their side, and Assad’s forces continue to bring more of these prisoners. More than 300 members of these prisoners were killed in fighting against Daesh and by the bombardment by US-Coalition on the headquarters of the Assad forces in the previous period. These prisoners are distributed to all the security branches of the regime and to the Republican Guard to fight in their ranks.
Tenth, women from the city of Deir Ezzor; they are a small number of women and their work is limited to the administrative work, they volunteer in the security branches of regime, the Baath Battalions, and National Defense. Some women of the affiliated to the militia of Imam Zain al-Abidin are being trained on hostilities, and some women in this militia are involved on fighting fronts and their work is limited on the sniper attacks only.
In addition to several militias, including the military security branches headed by Brigadier General Jamal Razzouk, the security of the state led by Brigadier Daas al-Daas who runs the oil burners in areas controlled by Assad’s forces, which became known as “Daas Burners,” as he earned millions of Syrian Pounds from them, also the branch of Air Force Intelligence led by Brigadier-General Munther, and the Political Security Branch: affiliated to the Ministry of Interior. Also the remnants of the Division 17 and Brigade 137, where the members of this Division are fighting in all the fronts in the city, and its members are volunteers and conscripts, also the young people who were belated for the military service and who were being arrested, were thrown for fighting in ranks of this Division.
As well as the Republican Guard forces, led by Brig. “Issam Zahreddine”, these gangs include a number of the Republican Guard members of people from other provinces, most of them are from the coast areas and As-Suwayda.
Also the military police and the volunteers in all army units participate in the fighting fronts in the city. In addition the civil police which is affiliated to the Ministry of the Interior – Internal Security Forces, where all officers and members of the order keeping battalion are thrown in, as well as members and officers of the Police Academy, the Police Gas Station, Assad Hospital Police, Criminal Security Branch, traffic police, the prison police, Justice Palace police, members of the provincial, municipal, Immigration, Academies of vehicles, signal, Moral Guidance, financial, and police members of the police command; are all thrown in all the fronts in the city.
Finally, the state civilian employees, a number of them have been forcibly recruited into the ranks of the Hashd, while some of them were taken to the ranks of the Division 17 and the State Security branch in Deir Ezzor and militia of national defense.
