Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes

Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes
Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes
Arabic: قوات مقاتلي العشائر, romanized: Quwat Muqatili al-Asha'ir
	Emblem of the militia. Top reads: "Syrian Arab Republic. The Army and the Armed Forces- Intelligence Branch." Bottom: "Lions of the Jazeera. Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes."
Leaders	Sheikh Turki al Buhamad; Ahmad al Buhamad;
Dates of operation	c. 2013/14 – ?
Group(s)	Deir ez-Zor branch; Homs branch; Bayraq al-Suwayda (formerly);
Active regions	Syria
Size	5,000 (self-claim 2017)
Part of	Military Intelligence Directorate (until 2024)
Allies	Russia; Hezbollah; Iran
Opponents	Free Syrian Army; Jaysh al-Islam; Ahrar al-Sham; Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham; Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Deir ez-Zor clashes (2011–14); Siege of Deir ez-Zor (2014–17); Ithriyah-Raqqa offensive (February–March 2016); Palmyra offensive (March 2016); Battle of al-Qaryatayn (March–April 2016); Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016) 2016 Aleppo summer campaign; Aleppo offensive (November–December 2016); ; East Aleppo offensive (January–April 2017); Syrian Desert campaign (May–July 2017); Central Syria campaign (2017); Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019–March 2020);

The Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes (Arabic: قوات مقاتلي العشائر, romanized: Quwwāt Muqātilī l-ʿAšāʾir), also known as the Tribal Army (Arabic: جيش العشائر, romanized: Jayš al-ʿAšāʾir) and the Tribal Fighters (Arabic: مقاتلي العشائر, romanized: Muqatili al-Asha'ir), was a multi-tribal militia affiliated with the Syrian Military Intelligence Directorate that took part in the Syrian Civil War on the side of the Ba'athist government. Led by Turki al Buhamad, the Fighters of the Tribes played a vital role in the Assad government's efforts to retake central and eastern Syria. The militia was affiliated with the pro-Ba'athist branch of the Arab Socialist Movement, and is closely allied with Russia.