List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War

Illustration of the main factions involved in the Syrian Civil War and their affiliations

A number of armed groups have involved themselves in the ongoing Syrian Civil War.

Opposing forces

Syrian Arab Republic and allies	Syrian opposition and allies	30px Syrian Democratic Council Democratic Federal System of Northern Syria and allies	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and allies
Syrian government forces Syrian Armed Forces Syrian Arab Army Republican Guard Lionesses of Defense Armored Battalion 100th Artillery Regiment 101st Infantry "Security" Regiment 102nd Infantry "Security" Regiment 103rd Brigade (Commandos) Syrian Marines 104th Airborne Regiment 105th Mechanized Brigade 106th Mechanized Brigade 124th Special Forces Brigade 800th Regiment 30th Division Popular Security and Support Forces 20px 4th Armoured Division Special Forces Command Tiger Forces Suqur al-Sahara 14th Special Forces Division 15th Special Forces Division 1st Corps 2nd Corps 3rd Corps 4th Corps 5th Corps al-Assad Shield Forces ISIS Hunters Tribal Forces 8th Brigade Mahardah branch 3rd Brigade Martyr or Victory 79th Battalion Ba'ath Legion, formed from Ba'ath Brigades volunteers Homeland Shield Forces 17th Division 18th Armoured Division Syrian Arab Air Force Syrian Arab Navy National Defence Forces Golan Regiment Fist Battalion Qalamoun Shield Forces 3rd Tank Division al-Shaitat tribe militias Military Intelligence Directorate Military Security Shield Forces Military Security Falcons Southern Shield Brigade Desert Commandos Regiment Air Force Intelligence Directorate Guardians of the Dawn Liwa Khaybar Fawj Nusur Homs Allied armed groups: as-Sa'iqa Syrian Social Nationalist Party Amal Movement Arab Nationalist Guard Syrian Resistance Jaysh al-Muwahhideen Forces of Abu Ibrahim Liwa al-Jabal Sootoro Jaysh al-Sha'bi PFLP–GC Liwa al-Quds Quwat al-Jalil Fatah al-Intifada Palestine Liberation Army Ba'ath Brigades Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham Liwa Fatemiyoun Hazrat-e Abolfazl Brigade Liwa Zainebiyoun Fulfilled Legion Houthis (2013) Quwat al-Ridha Jaysh al-Wafaa Liwa Dhu al-Fiqar Dareh al-Sahel Dareh al-Areen al-Hosn Saraya al-Mukhtar Manbij Tribal Regiment Homeland Fortress Forces Circassian Regiment al-Berri clan Tayy tribe militias Al-Baggara tribe militias al-Jihesh tribe militias Syrian National Resistance Kafr Saghir Martyrs Brigade Far right volunteers (2013) Slavonic Corps (2013) Hezbollah Radwan Forces Unit 910 Syrian Hezbollah units Liwa al-Imam al-Mahdi National Ideological Resistance Hawks Regiment Imam Hujja Regiment Al-Ghalibun Al-Ridha Forces Saryat al-Shaheed Abu Yasir Saryat al-'Ishq Kashafat al-Wilaya Imam Mahdi Scouts Fatima al-Zahara Regiment Iran Iranian Armed Forces Revolutionary Guards Quds Force Basij 17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Division Ground Forces Saberin Unit Army 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade Iraq Air Force (against ISIL) Popular Mobilization Forces Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada Badr Organization Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq Kata'ib Hezbollah Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba Golan Liberation Brigade Ammar Ibn Yasir Brigade Peace Companies Kata'ib al-Imam Ali Russia Russian Armed Forces Russian Air Force Russian Navy General Staff GRU Spetsnaz GRU 431st Naval Reconnaissance Spetsnaz Point Special Operations Command Special Operations Forces Russian Ground Forces Military Police Armament support: Russia Iran North Korea Iraq Egypt Belarus China	Syrian opposition affiliated rebel groups Ahrar al-Sham Sham Legion Jaysh al-Sunna Martyrs of Islam Brigade Authenticity and Development Front Southern Front Army of Free Tribes Southern Army Al-Qaratayn Martyrs Brigade Qalamoun Martyrs Brigade Revolutionary Commando Army Jabhat Ansar al-Islam Criterion Brigades al-Rahman Legion Al-Habib al-Mustafa Brigade Fajr al-Ummah 1st Brigade Jaysh al-Islam Al-Majid Brigades Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union Free Idlib Army 13th Division Mountain Hawks Brigade Northern Division 21st Combined Force Abu Amara Brigades 23rd Division Jaysh al-Nasr Abina al-Sham Jaish al-Izzah Elite Army Homs Liberation Movement Central Division Sultan Murad Division al-Moutasem Brigade Levant Front Hamza Division Muntasir Billah Brigade Northern Hawks Brigade Revolutionary Knights Brigade 1st Division of Aleppo Ahrar al-Sharqiya Elite Islamic Battalions Jaysh al-Ahfad Qadisiya Brigade Abna al-Hasaka Union Kurdish Revolutionary Battalion Soldiers of al-Hasakah Revolutionaries of Syrian Jazeera Ahrar al-Shaddadi Liwa al-Ikhlas Army of al-Jazeera and Euphrates Kurdish Liberation Movement Eastern Shield Army 1st Coastal Division Liberation Brigade faction Liwa Ahfad Saladin 1st Regiment Firqat al Amiyn al Uwlaa Halab Secret Tasks Brigade Deterring the Oppressors Brigades Allied armed groups: Grey Wolves Muslim Brotherhood Muslim Brotherhood of Syria Shields of the Revolution Council (until 2014, became Sham Legion) Hamas (2012-13) Aknaf Bait al-Maqdis (until 2015) Free Iraqi Army (2012-14) People's Mujahedin of Iran (2013) Joint operations rooms: Turkey-backed rebel groups Hawar Kilis Operations Room Northern Homs Countryside Operations Room North Hama Countryside Operations Room Damascus Operations Room Armament support: Qatar Saudi Arabia Turkey United States France Libya (until 2014) 23px CJTF-OIR (against ISIL) United States US Air Force Turkey (against ISIL and SDF) Turkish Army Third Army 57th Commando Regiment Turkish Air Force Turkish Naval Forces SAT SAS Marines General Staff Turkish Special Forces Russia (only in support of Turkey against ISIL) Russian Air Force Salafi Jihadist groups Tahrir al-Sham Ajnad al-Kavkaz Ajnad al-Sham Katibat al-Ghuraba Junud al-Makhdi Malhama Tactical Caucasus Emirate Turkistan Islamic Party Ansar al-Islam splinter faction Karm al-Jabal Martyrs Battalion Jamaat Bayt al-Maqdis al-Islamiya Ghuraba al-Sham (2013) Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (2013) Fatah al-Islam (2012) Muhajirin wa-Ansar Alliance (until 2015) Liwaa al-Umma (until 2015) Junud al-Sham (until 2016) Support: Qatar Saudi Arabia	Syrian Democratic Forces People's Protection Units (YPG) Al-Baggara tribe militias Women's Protection Units (YPJ) Anti-Terror Units (part of YPG & YPJ) Shammer tribe militias Al-Sanadid Forces Elite Forces Saadallah al-Jabiri Battalion Army of Revolutionaries Northern Sun Battalion Euphrates Brigades Soldiers of the Two Holy Mosques Brigade Euphrates Martyrs Brigade Dam Martyrs Brigade Al-Qusais Brigade Manbij Turkmen Brigade Jabhat al-Akrad Tel Rifaat Revolutionaries Battalion Shahba Women's Front Seljuq Brigade Martyr Qasim Areef Battalion Division 30 remnants Homs Commandos Brigade 99th Infantry Brigade Tribal Forces Northern Democratic Brigade Jabhat Thuwwar al-Raqqa Katibat Harayir Raqqa Raqqa Hawks Brigade Ghanim group Martyr Tasleem Jimmo Brigade Raqqa Martyrs Brigade Liwa Owais al-Qorani remnants Jazeera Knights Shoheda Hamam Turkman Brigade Free Officers Union Shahba Brigade Liberation Brigade faction Liwa Ahrar al-Raqqa Ahrar al-Tabqa Brigade Umanaa al-Raqqa Brigade Harun al-Rashid Brigade Tell Abyad Revolutionaries Brigade Euphrates Liberation Brigade Manbij Revolutionaries Battalion Manbij Hawks Brigade Euphrates Jarabulus Brigades Jarabulus Knights Battalion Martyr Zaki Jader Brigade Instructor Jader Brigade Juma al-Jader Brigade Gwadar Martyrs Brigade Jarabulus Armored Battalion Jarabulus Hawks Brigades Free Jarabulus Battalion Al-Bab Military Council Female Battalion Al-Bab Revolutionary Front Qebasîn Martyrs Brigade Al-Bab Countryside Martyrs Battalion Free Arima Battalion Martyr Silo al-Rai Brigade Kieba Martyrs Brigade al-Shaitat tribe militias Badia Hawks Brigade Syriac Military Council (MFS) Bethnahrain Women's Protection Forces Harabiyya tribe militias Zubayd tribe militias Police forces Asayish SWAT Units (HAT) Sutoro Khabour Guards Civilian defence units Self-Defense Forces (HXP) Special Forces Civilian Defense Force (HPC) Allied armed groups: Kurdistan Workers' Party People's Defence Forces Free Women's Units International Freedom Battalion MLKP TKP/ML TİKKO United Freedom Forces Revolutionary Communard Party MLSPB-DC Türkiye Devrim Partisi Sosyal İsyan Proleteryanın Devrimci Kurtuluş Örgütü Aziz GÜLER Özgürlük Gücü Milis Örgütü Kader Ortakaya Timi Kadın Özgürlük Gücü Kızılbaş Timi Mahir Arpaçay Devrimci Savaş Okulu Necdet Adalı Müfrezesi Spartaküs Timi Şehit Bedreddin Taburu PML (RC) RUIS TKEP/L IRPGF Devrimci Karargâh Henri Krasucki Brigade Bob Crow Brigade Antifascist Internationalist Tabur TKP-Kıvılcım Sinjar Resistance Units Euphrates Knights Brigade Iraqi Kurdistan KDP Peshmerga (2014) PUK Peshmerga Dizha Tiror (Counterterrorism Group) Military councils: Manbij Military Council al-Bab Military Council Jarabulus Military Council Deir Ezzor Military Council Armament support: Iraqi Kurdistan Kurdistan Democratic Party (2012–14) Patriotic Union of Kurdistan France United States Russia Syria Czech Republic 23px CJTF-OIR (against ISIL) United States United Kingdom France Australia Netherlands Germany Jordan Former: Canada (2014–16) Denmark (2014–16) Belgium (2014–17) United Arab Emirates (2014–16) Morocco (2014–16) Bahrain (2014–16) Saudi Arabia (2014–16) Qatar (2014–16) Russia (against ISIL and Syrian Opposition) Russian Air Force	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Military of ISIL Khalid ibn al-Walid Army Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade (until 2016) Islamic Muthanna Movement (until 2016) Jaysh al-Jihad (until 2016) Dokumacılar (until 2017) Liwa al-Aqsa (until February 2017)

Military situation in the Syrian Civil War as of 000000002016-05-31-0000May 31, 2016.

  Controlled by Syrian Government forces

  Controlled by Kurdish forces (Rojava)

  Controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

  Controlled by al-Nusra Front

  Controlled by Syrian opposition forces

(For a more detailed map, see Cities and towns during the Syrian Civil War)

Notes

• The United States alleges that Belarus has provided or attempted to provide direct military support to the Syrian government. Belarus denies this. There are also unconfirmed rumours that Algeria is providing military support to the Syrian government.
• There is regular conflict between the different rebel groups in the inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War.
• Jund al-Aqsa was allied with al-Nusra Front and other rebels as part of the Army of Conquest, which the group left in October 2015 and subsequently was accused of being allied with ISIL, taking part in ISIL-led offensives such as the 2016 Khanasir offensive. However, Jund al-Aqsa again worked the Army of Conquest and other rebels during the 2016 Southern Aleppo campaign. Eventually most of Jund al-Aqsa joined al-Nusra.
• Members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria as well as the Kurdish Freedom Party have on occasion clashed with the People's Protection Units, the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party.
• The Kurdish National Council has joined the Syrian National Coalition—though without officially committing any military forces to the opposition—while simultaneously retaining its membership in the Kurdish Supreme Committee, alongside the PYD.
• Egypt changed its position on this conflict from support for the opposition to neutrality after the 2013 Egyptian coup.
• Canada withdrew jet fighters from the US-led coalition against ISIL on 15 February 2016.
• The Syriac Military Council, Sutoro and Sootoro all represent the Assyrian people of Syria.
• Turkey is part of the CJTF–OIR against ISIL, but does not support the SDF and is in a border conflict with it.
• The People's Mujahedin of Iran is allegedly fighting against the Syrian government.
• The Syrian National Resistance is allied to both the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, though more closely aligned to the government.
• Russia provides air support to the Syrian government, Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIL and the Syrian opposition, but not against one another.

See also

• List of armed groups in the Iraqi Civil War
• List of armed groups in the Libyan Civil War
• Spillover of the Syrian Civil War
• Foreign involvement in the Syrian Civil War
• Foreign fighters in the Syrian and Iraqi Civil Wars

External links

• Syrian Civil War factions
• Syrian rebel Factions by Bellingcat