The Border Guard Forces () was a

gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

force of the

Syrian Army The Syrian Army is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. Up until the fall of the Assad regime, the Syrian Arab Army existed as a land force branch of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, which dominanted the military service of the fo ...

responsible for guarding the borders of Syria (mainly in the east of the country) and important strategic facilities. The Syrian Border Guard was in the size of an enlarged unit containing seven regiments which were deployed in different centers in Syria, the brigade was under the command of the 3rd Corps.

Command structure

;Border Guard Forces (2021) *5th Regiment (

Hasakah Al-Hasakah (; / ; ) is a city in northeastern Syria and the capital of the Al-Hasakah Governorate. With a 2023 estimated population of 422,445, Al-Hasakah is populated by Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians and a smaller number of Armenians and Chechens. Al ...

pocket) *6th Regiment (Southern

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

) *8th Regiment ( Jordan-Syria border) *10th Regiment ( Iraq-Syria border) *11th Regiment (

Latakia Latakia (; ; Syrian Arabic, Syrian pronunciation: ) is the principal port city of Syria and capital city of the Latakia Governorate located on the Mediterranean coast. Historically, it has also been known as Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad Mar ...

) *12th Regiment (

Manbij Manbij (; ; ) is a city in the northeast of Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria, west of the Euphrates. The 2004 census gives its population as nearly 100,000.

and

Ayn al-Arab Kobani, also Kobane, officially Ayn al-Arab, is a Kurdish-majority city in the Ayn al-Arab District in northern Syria, lying immediately south of the Syria–Turkey border. As a consequence of the Syrian civil war, the city came under the co ...

) *Unknown Regiment (likely Lebanon-Syria border) *87th Battalion (

Talkalakh Talkalakh () is a city in western Syria administratively belonging to the Homs Governorate as the capital of the Talkalakh District just north of the border with Lebanon and west of Homs. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) Talka ...

)

Combat history

The Border Guard Forces began its existence during the French Mandate in Syria under the name "Desert Guard", before 1946. After the independence, its main work was preventing smuggling along the borders, preventing the infiltration of hostile forces, maintaining order in areas far from the centers of government and maintaining important strategic objectives such as Euphrates Dam, oil wells and power plants.

Role in the Civil war

Over the years, the Syrian Border Guard did not engage in combat as a regular fighting force, but maintained its status as a regional police force. Even during the Civil War in Syria, the Border Guard functioned as a police force mainly in the east of the country. As of 2019, the Border Guard Force includes seven regiments deployed along the borders of Syria, each regiment is responsible for a sector and its units are stationed throughout the positions and facilities. In their work, border guards use light and medium weapons in addition to armored vehicles to monitor and protect land borders. Since 2019, the Border Guard also incorporated many reconciled civilians or ex-rebels.

References

{{Coast guards Border guards 1946 establishments in Syria Military units and formations disestablished in 2024