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The Tiger Forces: Assad's Elite Strike Force
General Suheil al-Hassan's Tiger Forces became the regime's most effective offensive unit — recapturing Palmyra, winning Aleppo, and reaching Deir ez-Zor, all while committing documented war crimes.
Confirmed2 chapters2013— 2024
The Tiger Forces represented the military evolution of the Assad regime under Russian tutelage — a professional, disciplined fighting unit in contrast to the corrupt and incompetent regular army. This journey traces their formation with Russian support, their major offensive operations, and the war crimes committed under their command.
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Chapter 01battle01 / 02
2016-03-27—2017-03Palmyra (Tadmor), Syria
Recapturing Palmyra from ISIS
March 2016 — Palmyra (Tadmor), Syria
The Tiger Forces' most celebrated operation — and their greatest propaganda victory — was the recapture of Palmyra from ISIS in March 2016. ISIS had seized Palmyra in May 2015 and proceeded to destroy irreplaceable ancient ruins including the Temple of Bel, the Arch of Triumph, and numerous funerary towers — acts of deliberate cultural destruction condemned worldwide. ISIS also executed hundreds of civilians and Syrian soldiers. The Tiger Forces, with extensive Russian air support, entered Palmyra on March 27, 2016. The regime and Russia staged a classical music concert by the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra in the Roman amphitheater as global PR. However, regime forces then lost Palmyra again to ISIS in December 2016, recapturing it a second time in March 2017. The Palmyra operations demonstrated the Tiger Forces' genuine military capability while highlighting the regime's inability to hold recaptured territory without constant Russian support.
Confirmed(97%)Sensitivity: critical
02
Chapter 02atrocity02 / 02
2013—2019Hama, Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor
War Crimes: Executions and Torture
2013–2019 — Multiple locations
Despite their effectiveness and relative discipline compared to other regime units, the Tiger Forces were documented committing systematic war crimes. Human Rights Watch documented in 2019 that Tiger Forces soldiers filmed themselves executing captured fighters in several incidents. Videos showed Tiger Forces soldiers decapitating a captured fighter in Hama province in 2017. Amnesty International documented cases of torture of detainees by Tiger Forces in Hama and Aleppo. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, General Suheil al-Hassan personally ordered or approved summary executions of captured fighters. The US Treasury Department sanctioned al-Hassan in September 2019, citing human rights abuses. The UN Commission of Inquiry documented the Tiger Forces' use of civilians as human shields and forced labor during the 2017 Deir ez-Zor campaign, and their participation in collective punishment of civilian populations in recaptured areas.
Confirmed(93%)Sensitivity: critical
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