The 4th Armoured Division ( ar, الفرقة الرابعة, al-Firqa ar-Rābiʿah) is an elite

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

of the

Syrian Army " (''Guardians of the Homeland'') , colors = * Service uniform: Khaki, Olive * Combat uniform: Green, Black, Khaki , anniversaries = August 1st , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = 1948 Arab–Israeli War Six-D ...

whose primary purpose is to defend the Syrian government from internal and external threats.

History

The division has its roots in the Defense Companies commanded by Rifaat al-Assad, younger brother of President

Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad ', , (, 6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was a Syrian statesman and military officer who served as President of Syria from taking power in 1971 until his death in 2000. He was also Prime Minister of Syria from 1970 to 1 ...

. After Rifaat was banished from Syria in 1984, the Defense Companies were reorganised into the 569th Armoured Division, and later into the 4th Armoured Division. The Division is regarded by some as the best trained and best equipped of the Syrian Army. The 4th Armoured Division, the

Republican Guard A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wi ...

, and Syria's

secret police Secret police (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political, religious, or social opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic ...

form the heart of the country's security forces. As a result, the Division is drawn mostly from members of the same

Alawite The Alawis, Alawites ( ar, علوية ''Alawīyah''), or pejoratively Nusayris ( ar, نصيرية ''Nuṣayrīyah'') are an ethnoreligious group that lives primarily in Levant and follows Alawism, a sect of Islam that originated from Shia Isl ...

group as the

Assad family The al-Assad family ( ar, عَائِلَة الْأَسَد '), also known as the Assad dynasty, has ruled Syria since General Hafez al-Assad became President of Syria in 1971 under the Ba'ath Party. After his death, in June 2000, he was succee ...

. About 80 percent of the division's soldiers and officers are Alawites and nearly 90 percent of them are career soldiers, in contrast to the

conscripts Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...

who comprise most of the army's other units. The Division has a military base in the south of Damascus, covering about and including several mountain bunkers. Its main entrance gate is located next to the village of Al-Horjelah.

Syrian civil war

During the uprising phase of the Syrian civil war, the 4th Armoured Division played a key role in attempting to put down uprisings, being sent to quell protests in the southern city of

Daraa Daraa ( ar, دَرْعَا, Darʿā, Levantine Arabic: , also Darʿā, Dara’a, Deraa, Dera'a, Dera, Derʿā and Edrei; means "''fortress''", compare Dura-Europos) is a city in southwestern Syria, located about north of the border with Jord ...

, the coastal city of

Baniyas Baniyas ( ar, بَانِيَاس ') is a Mediterranean coastal city in Tartous Governorate, northwestern Syria, located south of Latakia (ancient Laodicea) and north of Tartous (ancient Tortosa). It is known for its citrus fruit orchards and ...

, the central province of

Homs ar, حمصي, Himsi , population_urban = , population_density_urban_km2 = , population_density_urban_sq_mi = , population_blank1_title = Ethnicities , population_blank1 = , population_blank2_t ...

and the northern province of

Idlib ar, إدلبي, Idlibi , coordinates = , elevation_m = 500 , area_code = 23 , geocode = C3871 , blank_name = Climate , blank_info ...

officers from the 4th Armoured Division have been sent to other formations within the Syrian army in an attempt by the government to keep a closer eye and firmer grip on many

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a dis ...

dominated formations, with the officers sent from the division relying on the division's fearsome reputation to keep soldiers in line. Both the division as a whole and its component parts have been accused of engaging in human rights abuses during the Syrian uprising, such as arbitrary arrests and beatings, and the shooting of unarmed protesters. Their use by the Syrian regime in the uprising has led to many of the division's commanders being subject to EU sanctions and travel bans. A July 2013 report by a pro-government websites stated that

Maher al-Assad Maher al-Assad ( ar, مَاهِرُ ٱلْأَسَدِ, Māhir al-ʾAsad, born 8 December 1967) is a Syrian general and commander of the Republican Guard and the army's elite Fourth Armoured Division, which together with Syria's secret police ...

had been commanding troops in the Aleppo and Homs theatre of operations. Later on, there were reports of their control over international border crossings, such as

Nasib Border Crossing The Nasib Border Crossing ( ar, مركز نصيب الحدودي) is an international border crossing between Syria and Jordan. It is one of the busiest border crossings in Syria and is situated on the Damascus-Amman international highway near Nas ...

and other illegal border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, which are used as financial sources to cover their expenses.

Drug trade

The ''New York Times'' reported in December 2021 that the 4th Armoured Division oversees much of the production and distribution of

Captagon Fenethylline ( BAN, USAN) is a codrug of amphetamine and theophylline and a prodrug to both. It is also spelled phenethylline and fenetylline (INN); other names for it are amphetaminoethyltheophylline and amfetyline. The drug was marketed fo ...

, among other drugs. The unit controls manufacturing facilities, packing plants, and smuggling networks all across Syria (which have started to also move

crystal meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamphe ...

). The division's security bureau, headed by Maj. Gen. Ghassan Bilal, provides protection for factories and along smuggling routes to the port city

Latakia , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = 11 , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = Country code: 963 City code: 41 , geocode ...

and to border crossings with Jordan and Lebanon.

Battle order

* 40th Armored Brigade * 41st Armored Brigade * 42nd Armored Brigade * 138th Mechanized Brigade * 154th Artillery Regiment * 63rd Artillery Regiment * 555th Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) * Protective Lions (Commandos), formed in May 2014. * National Shield * Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba Syrian-wing

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:4th Armoured Division Armoured divisions of Syria Protective security units 1984 establishments in Syria Military units and formations established in 1984