25th Special Mission Forces Division explained

Unit Name:25th Special Mission Forces Division
Dates:2013–present
Allegiance: Syrian Armed Forces
Branch: Syrian Army
Type:Special operations force
Role:Air assault
Shock troops
Close-quarters combat
Counter-insurgency
Counter-terrorism
Direct action
Special operations
Special reconnaissance
Unconventional warfare
Urban warfare
Size:12,000 soldiers (2022)
Garrison:Aleppo
Nickname:Tiger Forces or Quwwat Al-Nimr (Arabic: قوات النمر)
Colors Label:Tactical color marking
Equipment:AK-74M rifles
T-90 tanks
T-72 tanks
T-55 tanks
Rys LMV tactical vehicle
Gaz Tigr tactical vehicle
Commander1:Maj. Gen. Saleh Abdullah
Commander1 Label:Current Commander
Commander2:Brig. Gen. Yunis Muhammad
Commander2 Label:Deputy Commander & Chief of Staff
Commander3:Brig. Gen. Yasser Ahmed
Commander3 Label:Commander of Assault Troops
Notable Commanders:Maj. Gen. Suheil al-Hassan[1]

The 25th Special Mission Forces Division, colloquially known by their former name Tiger Forces (ar|قُوَّات النِّمْر; Quwwat al-Nimr), is an elite special forces unit of the Syrian Army under the charge of the commander Major General Saleh Abdullah.[2] It was formed in late 2013 and functions primarily as an offensive unit in the Syrian Civil War.[3] It has been described as a "hot commodity for any government offensive", but their relatively small numbers make it difficult to deploy them to multiple fronts at once.[4]

Command structure

25th SMF Division (2023)[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Changes to Syria's special forces this week: Recently appointed Mohamad Saftly moved to command 30th SRG Division. Replaced as head of Special Forces by Suhail Hassan. Suhail replaced as head of 25th Div by former senior Tiger commander, current 30th Div commander Saleh Abdullah.. Twitter. 14 April 2024. 12 April 2024. Gregory Waters.
  2. Book: Harris, William . Quicksilver War: Syria, Iraq and the Spiral of Conflict . Oxford University Press . 2018 . 9780190874872 . New York. 183 . Glossary.
  3. Book: Harris, William . Quicksilver War: Syria, Iraq and the Spiral of Conflict . Oxford University Press . 2018 . 9780190874872 . New York . 183 . Glossary.
  4. Web site: Exclusive: Tiger Forces to Redeploy to Northern Hama. Leith Fadel. Al-Masdar News. 10 November 2015. 12 February 2016. 16 February 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160216013613/http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/exclusive-tiger-forces-to-redeploy-to-northern-hama/. dead.
  5. Web site: From Tiger Forces to the 16th Brigade: Russia's evolving Syrian proxies. Middle East Institute. Gregory Waters. 12 September 2022. 16 November 2023.
  6. https://twitter.com/SAMSyria0/status/1792833139758284953?t=T8XDyxmDdt8WnYay65519g&s=19 استشهاد العقيد شرف عبدو السلات من مرتبات اللواء 26 مشاة - فرقة 25 مهام خاصة من الجيش العربي السوري أثناء أداء واجبه الوطني في البادية السورية في المعارك ضد تنظيم "د.ا.عش" الإرهابي شرقي محافظة حمص، الشهيد من محافظة إدلب.
  7. Web site: وصول قوات من الفوج 75 - فرقة 25 إلى جبهات ريف حلب لتعزيز مواقع الجيش العربي السوري ومواجهة أي تصعيد من التنظيمات-الإرها-بية..
  8. Web site: ريف إدلب: الفوج 78 | فرقة 25 من الجيش العربي السوري يتصدى لمحاولة مجموعة-إرها-بية التسلل-والاعتداء على النقاط في الخطوط الأمامية وتمكنت الوحدة من-قتـ.ل 4 إرهابيين-وجرح آخرين وفرار من تبقى منهم كما تم التصدي لهجوم إرها-بي بالمسيرات على المناطق الآمنة وتدمير وإسقاط عدد من المسيرات.}.