The Eighth Brigade was a unit of the 5th Corps established in 2018 in the

Daraa Governorate Daraa Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ') is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in the south-west of the country and covers an area of 2594 km2. It is bordered by Jordan to the south, Quneitra G ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

during the Syrian civil war, composed primarily of rebels who had reconciled with the Assad regime in 2018. The faction joined the

Southern Operations Room The Southern Operations Room (), abbreviated as SOR, is a Syrian rebel coalition consisting of various Syrian opposition groups and defectors that initially operated in the southern provinces of Daraa, Suwayda and Quneitra, though they expande ...

in December 2024 following the

2024 Syrian opposition offensives On 27 November 2024, a coalition of Syrian opposition to Bashar al-Assad, Syrian revolutionary factions called the Military Operations Command led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported by allied Turkey, Turkish-backed groups in the Syria ...

and disbanded in April 2025 after the killing of Bilal al-Droubi.

Background

The Eighth Brigade originated as the Syrian rebel group Youth of Sunna Forces, which was initially led by

Ahmad al-Awda Ahmad al-Awda (), also spelled as Ahmad al-Oda, is a Syrian military officer and former rebel leader who leads the Southern Operations Room. A leader of the rebel Youth of Sunna Forces between 2014 and 2018, al-Awda reconciled with the Assad re ...

until Mohammed Tohme and his deputy Bilal al-Droubi were given control of the group by the factions' leadership council in August 2016. Al-Awda regained control of the group and the city of

Bosra Bosra (), formerly Bostra () and officially called Busra al-Sham (), is a town in southern Syria, administratively belonging to the Daraa District of the Daraa Governorate and geographically part of the Hauran region. Bosra is an ancient cit ...

later that month with the support of the Yarmouk Army.

History

Following a marked increase in regime activity in the summer of 2018, al-Awda negotiated a settlement with Russia and was given control of his own brigade. The faction worked closely with Russian military police and their joint area of control was more peaceful compared to other areas of the governorate. Russia ended support for the group in 2021 and it affiliated with the

Military Intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...

branch in Suwayda. The Eighth Brigade raided a group on 5 May 2022 that was planning assassinations of Syrian Brigade Party members, under the orders of the

Air Force Intelligence Directorate The Air Force Intelligence Directorate () was an intelligence service of Ba'athist Syria from 1970 until 2024, owing its importance to Hafez al-Assad's role as the Air Force commander. Despite its name, it was mainly involved with issues other t ...

. The Eighth Brigade and Central Committees were engaged in a 10-day operation against

ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

in the city of Jasim in October 2022. The brigade was involved in "fierce battles" with ISIS in various Daraa neighborhoods, including Tariq al-Sad and al-Mukhayam, in November 2022, alongside allied "local factions." The Eighth Brigade and local groups fought against ISIS in Nawa in January 2024, killing eight members of ISIS. The brigade joined the

in December 2024, affiliated with the Syrian opposition and was one of the factions that marched on Damascus, leading to its fall that month.

Dissolution

On 10 April 2025, members of the brigade confronted Bilal al-Droubi, who had recently joined the Ministry of Defense, arresting him and shooting him multiple times. Al-Droubi died two days later. On 11 April, following the attack on al-Droubi, large reinforcements from General Security were sent towards Eighth Brigade positions in eastern Daraa, taking control of checkpoints and confiscating weapons in

Al-Sahwah Al-Sahwah (, also spelled ''el-Sahoa'' or ''Sahweh''); also known as Sahwat al-Qamh or Sehwet el-Kamh is a village in southern Syria, administratively part of the Daraa Governorate, located east of Daraa. Nearby localities include al-Jiza to the ...

Al-Musayfirah Al-Musayfirah (, also spelled Mseifreh or Musayfra) is a town in southern Syria, administratively part of the Daraa Governorate, located east of Daraa and 37 kilometers southeast of Damascus. Nearby localities include Kahil to the southwest, a ...

, Saida, Al-Hirak, Ghabagheb, and Khirbet Ghazaleh. Later, Daraa governor Anwar al-Zoubi and other regional Syrian officials negotiated with Eighth Brigade leaders and local dignitaries in Bosra Citadel, reaching an agreement to hand over individuals wanted in killing al-Droubi. On 12 April, General Security convoys carrying 1,200 soldiers entered the brigade's headquarters in Bosra to search for weapon depots and to transfer prisoners to Daraa city. An anonymous Eighth Brigade commander said that al-Awda considered fighting against the government, but decided against it because it would be a "losing battle". Additionally, hundreds of demonstrators demonstrated against the Eighth Brigade in Bosra, and mosque loudspeakers in several towns in eastern Daraa broadcast calls for pressuring brigade leaders into handing over those responsible for al-Droubi's death and for brigade members to hand in their weapons. On 13 April 2025, Eighth Brigade spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed al-Hourani issued a statement announcing the dissolution of the Eighth Brigade, adding that it would hand over all "human and military capabilities" to the Ministry of Defense. Following this, General Security confiscated the brigade's heavy equipment, which included tanks, armored personnel carriers, and anti-tank weapons, from their headquarters in Bosra, and took control of facilities and prisons formerly run by the brigade.

References

{{reflist 2018 establishments in Syria 2025 disestablishments in Syria Military units and formations of Syria Military units and formations disestablished in 2025 Military units and formations established in 2018