Pro-Government Militias
People's Army (al-Jaysh al Sha'bi) (Syria)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 520 |
| Country: | Syria |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1980 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | decade |
| Details of Formation: | Information about group formation is vague. According to the Institute for the Study of War, the Syrian Ba'th Party established an armed wing in the early 1980s, which is called al-Jaysh al-Sha'bi or People’s Army since the mid-1980s. Since 2012 Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard and Lebanese Hezbollah extensively support the group by the provision of training and material. Some news sources say that Iran helped create the group, probably referring to Iran’s role in the group’s revival during the Syrian civil war. |
| 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?: | no information | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | political party |
| If link to party, name of party: | Baath Party (Syria) |
| Training and Equipment: | no |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | Foreign government; foreign support |
| State Sponsor(s): | Iran |
| Other Connection(s): | Support from Lebanese Hezbollah. |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | religious |
| Primary Membership: | religious |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | None |
| Force Strength: | [50000, 100000] |
| Target(s): | unarmed political opposition, government critics; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | intimidate political opposition; 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: | According to one news source, the People’s Army is an alliance of local Shiite and Alawite militias. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The main purpose of the People’s Army is to provide additional security and protection in times of war. During the Syrian civil war, their main task was to supplement the regular forces’ operations against insurgents and opposition. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | Jointly with the Syrian military, the People’s Army has conducted operations against the Syrian opposition resulting in deaths and injuries among Syrian opposition members. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | An estimate dating from late 2011 suggests that the People’s Army has around 100,000 reservists. Iran claims the group had 50,000 members. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The People’s Army receives training from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force and from Hezbollah. Both also provide the PGM with weapons and equipment. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The People’s Army was initially the armed wing of the Ba'th Party. It is controlled by the Syrian government. It receives funding from Iran and is allegedly modeled after Iran’s Basij. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.