Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (Syria)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: |
no
|
| PGM ID Number: |
523
|
| Country: |
Syria |
| Date formed: |
Jan. 1, 1968 |
| Accuracy of date formed: |
year
|
| Details of Formation: |
The PFLP-GC split from the PFLP in 1968. Its main base is the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria. It has close ties to both Syria and Iraq. |
| Date dissolved: |
Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: |
day
|
| Details of Termination: |
In late 2012, the Yarmouk refugee camp fell in the hands of the Free Syrian Army. The PFLP-GC retreated from the camp and joined the government forces. Under an agreement between government and rebel negotiators, the PFLP-GC should be dismantled and its weapons surrendered. However, the implementation of the agreement and the truce was described as problematic (CNN 2012). News sources continue to refer to the PFLP-GC as an active PGM in the years that follow. |
| Termination Type(s): |
unclear
|
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): |
none
|
| Successor group(s): |
none
|
| Private Military Company? |
no |
| Former Group? |
yes |
| Former Armed Group? |
yes |
| 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 |
Main Creating Government Institution: |
none
|
| Government Link(s): |
person/minister
|
| If link to party, name of party: |
None |
| Training and Equipment: |
yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: |
yes |
| Shared Personnel: |
no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: |
domestic government; Foreign government
|
| State Sponsor(s): |
Iran
|
| Other Connection(s): |
|
Group Characteristics
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 PFLP-GC commands Popular Committees. As the PFLP-GC also is an armed structure in itself and acts as such, it is coded as a separate PGM, although parts of its operations can be situated within the Popular Committees framework. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: |
The PFLP-GC supports the Syrian forces in its fights against insurgents during the Syrian civil war. They were also authorized by President Assad to attack Israeli in retaliation against Israeli war plane attacks near Damascus. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use |
unknown
|
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: |
Syrian rebels have accused the PFLP-GC of cracking down on opposition in Yarmouk. In at least one case, the PFLP-GC kidnapped a civilian and demanded ransom paying for his release. They did not release him and did not give any notice about his whereabouts or whether he might still be alive. Smuggled photographs later showed that he had been killed (Human Rights Watch 2015). |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: |
kidnapping/abductions; killing
|
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? |
no information |
| PGM Members Paid? |
no information |
| Reasons for Membership: |
One former PFLP-GC fighter reports that he had fought for the PGM to protect the camps. When he realized he should fight rebels instead he defected to the rebels (The New York Times 2012). |
| PGM Members Killed? |
no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
The US Department of State estimated in 2014 that the PGM had several hundred members. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: |
The PFLP-GC held trainings for other Palestinian terrorist groups. It had been authorized by Assad to use missile batteries against Israel. The Syrian government provides the group with military support; it is unclear exactly what this implies. |
Organisation
| Organisation: |
The PFLP-GC has long been aligned with Syrian President Assad. It receives logistical and military support from the Syrian government, and financial support from Iran. Since its foundation the group has been led by Ahmed Jibril, a former captain in the Syrian army and a strong ally of Assad. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
CNN. 2012. “Syrian fight now 'overtly sectarian,' U.N. says.“ December 20. https://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/20/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html
Human Rights Watch. 2015. “If the Dead Could Speak. Mass Deaths and Torture in Syria’s Detention Facilities.” December 16. https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/12/16/if-dead-could-speak/mass-deaths-and-torture-syrias-detention-facilities
The New York Times. 2012. “A Syrian Airstrike Kills Palestinian Refugees and Costs Assad Support.” December 16. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/world/middleeast/syrian-airstrike-kills-palestinian-refugees.html
Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD
Evidence
