File image.
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has deployed the 25th Special Mission Forces Division, mostly known by their former name the Tiger Forces, along the western bank of the Euphrates River in Aleppo and Raqqa, different Syrian news sources reported on December 1 and 2.
The elite force was deployed in areas held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeastern Aleppo countryside and the southern countryside of Raqqa. According to unverified reports, some of the force units have already crossed to the eastern bank of the Euphrates.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Facebook.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Facebook.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Facebook.
Engineering equipment and heavy weapons, including battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, howitzers and multiple rocket launchers, were also brought in.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
The deployment came amid preparations by the Turkish military and its proxies to launch a new ground offensive against the SDF and its affiliates in northern Syria.
The 25th Special Mission Forces Division, which is led by prominent Syrian officer Major General Suheil al-Hassan, is directly backed by Russia.
Turkey launched an operation, codenamed Claw-Sword, against Kurdish forces in Syria and Iraq on November 20 in response to the November 13 Istanbul bombing. So far, the operation has been limited to air and artillery strikes.
The SAA has already reinforced many of its positions in SDF-held areas in northern Syria, which were established under Russian-brokered agreements during the Turkish invasions of 2018 and 2019.
Damascus may be planning to quickly move the 25th Special Mission Forces Division to secure key areas in Raqqa and the northeastern Aleppo countryside if Turkey launch a new ground offensive against the SDF. Earlier this year, the force trained on crossing water barriers and parachuting with help from the Russian military.
