17th Division (Syria)
| 17th Reserve Division | |
|---|---|
| الفرقة الاحتياطية 17 | |
 Divisional tactical color marking | |
| Active | 1970 – 2024 |
| Country |  Syria |
| Allegiance |  Syrian Armed Forces |
| Branch |  Syrian Army |
| Role | Mechanized Infantry |
| Size | ~ 8,500 soldiers (2018) |
| Part of | 3rd Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | Deir ez-Zor Ayn Issa (93rd Brigade) Qamishli (54th Regiment) Hasakah (123rd Regiment) |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Maj. Gen. Jihad Yusuf[2] |
| Notable commanders | Maj. Gen. Nidal Saleh Dalila[3] Maj. Gen. Nizar Khaddour[4] Maj. Gen. Hassan Muhammad[5] |
The 17th Reserve Division (Arabic: الفرقة الاحتياطية 17) was a formation of the Syrian Army responsible for north-eastern Syria. It was one of two autonomous reserve divisions of the Syrian Arab Army, the other being the 18th Armoured Division. The 17th Division was part of the 3rd Corps.[6]
Command structure
[edit]As of 2019, the Division was an autonomous unit of the Syrian Army. It was one of the Syrian Army's two specialized divisions, which unlike the Army's conventional divisions included both brigades and maneuver regiments.[7]
The 17th Division was part of the 3rd Corps structure,[8][6] and was composed of 137th Mechanized Brigade, the 93rd Armored Brigade, the 121st and 123rd Artillery Regiments.[9][10] Later reports stated that two battalions from the 54th Special Forces Regiment served within the 17th Division.[9]
Order of Battle
[edit]- 17th Reserve Division (2021)
- 137th Mechanized Brigade
- 93rd Armored Brigade
- 54th Special Forces Regiment[9]
- 121st Artillery Regiment
- 123rd Artillery Regiment[9]
Combat history
[edit]Role in the civil war
[edit]The 17th Reserve Division was active in Deir ez-Zor province throughout 2012.
The division's 93rd Brigade left Idlib to secure Raqqa Governorate in early 2012.[11]
In November 2012 the Free Syrian Army claimed that elements of the 17th Division were in Rastan, thereby raising the possibility that elements of the Division withdrew from the east as the Syrian Government lost positions there.[12]
Following the reported capture of Raqqa on 3–6 March 2013, elements of the 17th Division remained under siege to the north of the city in October 2013.[13]
Following the fall of the Menagh airbase, the remaining troops of the defeated 17th Division sought refuge with Kurdish forces. The Kurds, however, turned over the senior officers to al-Nusra in exchange for Kurdish prisoners and the Islamists promptly killed the handed over officers, including Colonel Naji Abu Shaar.[14]
In July 2014, ISIL captured the division's and 93rd's Brigade headquarters in the 2014 Eastern Syria offensive.
In February 2016, the 137th Brigade was reported to be controlling airdropped UN aid supplies in Deir ez-Zor city.[15]
On 15 October 2016, the 137th Brigade attacked the southern outskirts of their former HQ that was occupied by ISIS in Deir ez-Zor.[16] They killed several militants and destroyed three armored vehicles.[16]
In June 2017, the Syrian Democratic Forces and other allied forces, aided by US airstrikes, captured the main base/headquarters of the division, located in the outskirts of Raqqa from ISIS after clashes between the two forces occurred as part of the Battle of Raqqa.[17]
As of 2022, Major General Nidal Dalila, who hailed from the Republican Guard, was the commander of the 17th Reserve Division and Deir ez-Zor Security & Military Committee.
References
[edit]- ^ "Breaking: Syrian Army expands control over eastern bank of Euphrates River". Al-Masdar News. 21 September 2017. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- ^ Gregory Waters (30 March 2024). "Eastern Syria reshuffle: Jihad Yusuf to command 17th Div & Eastern Region Sec Committee (fmr dep co of Republican Guard). Muhammad Issa to command Hasakah Security Committee (fmr 10th Div commander). Nabil Issa to command 5th Corps' Dez-based 7th Brigade (fmr SRG officer)". Twitter. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ Waters, Gregory (28 December 2022). "Maj. Gen. Nidal Dalila has been appointed commander of DeZ Sec & Mil Committee & 17th Div. Was military commander of Hasakah governorate". Twitter. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ Waters, Gregory (8 December 2020). "assignment of Maj Gen Nizar Khaddour". Twitter. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ Waters, Gregory (26 December 2020). "Maj Gen Hassan Muhammad has reportedly retired. Born in Ain Shaqaq, he served in the SAA for 42 years". Twitter. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- ^ a b Gregory Waters (18 July 2019). "The Lion and The Eagle: The Syrian Arab Army's Destruction and Rebirth". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ Joseph Halliday, The Syrian Army: Doctrinal Order of Battle, Institute for the Study of War, February 2013, p.6
- ^ Joseph Halliday, The Syrian Army: Doctrinal Order of Battle, Institute for the Study of War, February 2013, p.10
- ^ a b c d Gregory Waters (20 November 2019). "Return to the northeast: Syrian Army deployments against Turkish forces". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Joseph Halliday, The Syrian Army: Doctrinal Order of Battle, Institute for the Study of War, February 2013, p.12
- ^ Joseph Halliday, The Assad Regime: From Counterinsurgency to Civil War, Institute for the Study of War, March 2013, p.33, citing '“Clashes between Syrian troops and army defectors kill at least 13,” Washington Post, October 13, 2011; Syrian Revolution Coordinator’s Union Facebook Page <facebook.com/monasiqoon>, November 13, 2012.
- ^ Joseph Halliday, The Assad Regime: From Counterinsurgency to Civil War, Institute for the Study of War, March 2013, p.33
- ^ Alice Martins, Watching Rebels Fight Among Themselves for the City of Raqqa, VICE news, 23 September 2013.
- ^ Robert Fisk, Syria civil war: State-of-the-art technology gives President Assad’s army the edge The Independent 26 February 2016
- ^ "No One Knows What Just Happened to the UN's First-Ever Humanitarian Airdrop in Syria". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ a b "Syrian Army strikes back against ISIS in southwest Deir Ezzor". Al-Masdar News. 15 October 2016. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ "SDF takes control of the 17th Division Base north of Raqqa". ANF News. 2017-06-08. Retrieved 2017-06-08.