Hamza Division (Daraa) Explained

Hamza Division (Daraa) should not be confused with Hamza Division (Aleppo).

Hamza Division
Native Name:	فرقة الحمزة Firqat al-Hamza
Native Name Lang:	Ar
War:	the Syrian civil war
Active:	8 April 2013 – 31 July 2018^[1]
Leaders:	Col. Saber Safar^[2]
Clans:	Houran Mujahideen Brigade Engineering Battalion
Headquarters:	Inkhil, Syria^[3]
Area:	Daraa Governorate
Partof:	Free Syrian Army Southern Front Daraa Military Council (former) First Army (inactive)
Opponents:	Syrian Armed Forces National Defense Force
Battles:	Syrian Civil War Daraa Governorate campaign Daraa offensive (October 2014) Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin (2014) Daraa offensive (January 2015) 2015 Southern Syria offensive Daraa and As-Suwayda offensive (June 2015) Daraa offensive (June–July 2015) Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin (2015–2016) Daraa offensive (March–April 2016) Daraa offensive (February–June 2017) Southwestern Daraa offensive (February 2017)

The Hamza Division (ar|فرقة الحمزة; Firqat al-Hamza) was a Syrian rebel group affiliated with the Free Syrian Army. It was based in Inkhil, Daraa Governorate. It was formed on 8 April 2013 by Colonel Saber Safar as the "Hamza Brigade".^[1] It was composed of six subunits.^[3] The group received U.S.-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles. It was a member of the Daraa Military Council and the Southern Front.

History

The group joined the First Army on 1 January 2015.^[4] In mid-2015 the 1st Army disbanded, although the Hamza Division continued to use its imagery until 2016.^[3]

On 22 September 2016, 9 commanders in the Hamza Division were assassinated in a bombing in Inkhil.^[5]

See also

• List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War

Notes and References

1. Web site: A MODERN HISTORY OF THE FREE SYRIAN ARMY IN DARAA. Foreign Military Studies Office. Lucas Winter. 2017-02-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20141222141708/http://fmso.leavenworth.army.mil/documents/Free-Syrian-Army-Daraa.pdf. 2014-12-22. dead.
2. Web site: Three important Free Syrian Army factions decided, at this 2015 new year, to create the First Army. SRO. 1 January 2015. 2 January 2015.
3. Web site: The Moderate Rebels: A Complete and Growing List of Vetted Groups. Hasan Mustafas. 30 November 2014. Democratic Revolution, Syrian Style. 5 August 2015.
4. Web site: 3 فصائل مقاتلة تعلن اندماجها الكامل وتشكيل "الجيش الأول". SOHR. 2 January 2015. 2 January 2015.
5. Web site: Hamza Band in Daraa mourns nine leading Angel explosion. Enab Baladi. 22 September 2016.