Pro-Government Militias
Ba'th Battalions (Syria)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 519 |
| Country: | Syria |
| Date formed: | July 1, 2012 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | month |
| Details of Formation: | In July 2012, the head of Aleppo Ba'th party, Hilal Hilal, armed local party members to defend the city of Aleppo. Subsequently, party members were militarized also outside Aleppo. One news source says that the Ba’th battalions had previously been popular committees. |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | |
| Termination Type(s): | not terminated |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | unclear |
| Former Armed Group? | unclear |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | yes | Main Creating Government Institution: | governing party |
| Government Link(s): | political party |
| If link to party, name of party: | Baath Party (Syria) |
| Training and Equipment: | no information |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government; plunder and loot; military |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | party activists |
| Primary Membership: | political |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | At first, Aleppo, now countrywide. |
| Force Strength: | [5000, 7000] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | self-defense and security; fight insurgents |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | The Ba’th Brigade was not heavily involved in fighting and their numbers of casualties were low considering the scale of violence in Aleppo at the time. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The main purpose of the Ba’th Battalions is to assist the regular army in its fight against insurgents. When the regular army’s capacity decreased due to deaths among its soldiers and a campaign of enlisting reservists failed, the Ba’th Battalions became one of the main bodies of military forces fighting for the regime. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | faster mobilization |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The Ba’th Battalions are accused of kidnapping civilians and looting and burning their homes. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | kidnapping/abductions |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | sometimes |
PGM Size
| Size: | By November 2012, the Ba’th Battalions had around 5,000 fighters. In January 2014, this number had increased to some 7,000 fighters all around Syria. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The Ba’th Battalions received their weapons from the Baath Party. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The Ba’th Battalions are the armed wing of the Baath Party. It is overseen by Hilal Hilal, who is Bashar’s assistant regional secretary. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.