National Defence Forces

By the beginning of 2013, the Syrian government took steps to formalize and professionalize hundreds of Popular Committee militias under a new group dubbed the National Defense Forces. The goal was to form an effective, locally based, highly motivated force out of pro-government militias. The NDF, in contrast with the Shabiha forces, received salaries and military equipment from the government. Since the formation of the NDF, Shabiha members have been incorporated into its structure. The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces has defined Shabiha as the Syrian National Defense Forces. Young and unemployed men join the NDF, which some view as more attractive than the Syrian Arab Army, considered by many of them to be infiltrated by rebels, overstretched and underfunded. A number of recruits say they joined the group because members of their families had been killed by rebel groups. In some Alawite villages almost every military-age male has joined the National Defense Force. However, the Druze of Suwayda do not represent a significant contingent within the NDF, most of the Druze within the NDF being recruited by the Golan Regiment among the residents of the Golan Heights, Quneitra Governorate, following an agreement between rebels and pro-Assad local fighters in 2013. The creation of the NDF was personally overseen by Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. Syrian security officials stated that they received assistance from Iran and Hezbollah, who both "played a key role in the formalization of the NDF along the model of the Iranian 'Basij' militia". The NDF recruits received training in urban guerilla warfare from Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah instructors at facilities inside Syria, Lebanon, and Iran, with this partnership remaining in place as of April 2015. == Role ==

The force acts in an infantry role, directly fighting against rebels on the ground and running counter-insurgency operations in coordination with the Syrian Army, which provides them with logistical and artillery support. The force was reported to be 60,000-strong as of June 2013 and grew to 100,000 by August. The NDF is composed mainly of members of the Alawite and Shia sects of Islam and are loyal to the Syrian Government and the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Others have claimed that the NDF does most of the fighting because NDF members, as locals, have a strong knowledge of the region. An NDF militia from Mhardeh, led by Sami Al-Wakil, has been accused of war crimes, for instance massacres in Halfaya in December 2012 and Kfar Hod in March 2013, and in Al-Lataminah where it has been reported to be responsible for 200 civilian deaths in artillery fire from a hill it occupied, and of recruiting child soldiers. == Organization and training ==

According to a report, as of February 2015 the National Defense Forces are organized under provincial commanders, and loosely overseen by a national coordinator who is reported to be Brigadier-General Ghassan Nassour, although later sources report the name of Hawash Mohammed. Provincial branches seem to be commanded by a senior officer each. The period of training can vary from 2 weeks to a month depending on whether an individual is being trained for basic combat, sniping, or intelligence. == Lionesses of National Defense ==

The NDF had a 500-strong women's wing called "Lionesses of National Defense", which operates checkpoints in the Homs area. The women are trained to use Kalashnikovs, heavy machine guns and grenades, and taught to storm and control checkpoints. The largest female group belong to Homs NDF. In January 2024, Lionesses of the NDF were disbanded. == Funding ==

French far-right non-governmental organization (SOSCO) has conducted fundraising for the NDF according to an investigation by the Newlines Magazine. == See also ==