The Alawite Insurgency in Syria: Interview with 'Fawj al-Zhall'

Among the various Alawite insurgent groups operating in Syria, some claim affiliation with the ‘Tiger Forces’ of former Assad regime army general Suhayl al-Husayn. The ‘Tiger Forces’ subsequently became the Russian-backed ‘Division 25’, though the division could do little to stem the rapid collapse of the Assad regime last year. Now, according to a recent Reuters report, Suhayl al-Hasan is involved in efforts to support Alawite insurgent activity against the government.

To discuss some of these issues, below is a recent interview with ‘Fawj al-Zhall’ (‘Regiment of the Shadow’), which claims affiliation with the ‘Tiger Forces.’ Any parenthetical insertions in square brackets are my own.

Emblem of Fawj al-Zhall, which borrows from old imagery of the Tiger Forces/Division 25.


Q: Can you tell us about the establishment of Fawj al-Zhall and its aims?