Al-Hajj Muhammad Ja’afar (center). |
Readers of this blog will be familiar with Katibat Dir’ al-Watan (Homeland Shield Battalion), which is an affiliate of the Russian-backed V Corps (aka 5th Legion) and is led by al-Hajj Muhammad Ja’afar (originally from the north Lebanese border locality of al-Qasr, also known as Qasr). The group has both Syrian and Lebanese fighters in its ranks, with many originating from localities spanning the porous borders between Homs countryside and north Lebanon, as many Lebanese citizens have long lived in villages on the Syrian side of the border. Katibat Dir’ al-Watan’s most notable engagement so far has been the broader eastern campaign against the Islamic State.
Though the Islamic State’s territorial reach has been greatly diminished, it still clings to some land on the borders between Syria and Iraq and is capable of launching deadly strikes, exploiting a lack of attention devoted to the area in comparison with previous efforts on the part of both the Syrian government and its allies as well as the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. On 25 January, the Islamic State attacked Katibat Dir’ al-Watan positions in the Deir az-Zor countryside near the borders with Iraq, killing approximately 30 fighters, according to a statement from Katibat Dir’ al-Watan circles:
The armed terrorist groups launched a wide attack since the middle of the night and fierce battles occurred on the positions belonging to Katibat Dir’ al-Watan of al-Hajj Muhammad Ja’afar in the al-Kashma area and the al-Ghariba area in Deir az-Zor countryside, but the terrorist groups were entirely destroyed on the battlefield and all the neighbouring hills were seized. As a result of these confrontations that were decisively resolved since 3 p.m., with all pride and honour we present around 30 martyrs. And the burial will be set at a subsequent time.
| Name: Bilal Fahad Hamoud Origin: al-Faruqiya (border village in Homs countryside) Year of birth: 1991 Number of children: N/A | Name: Khalid Shahada al-Daho Origin: al-Bajajiya (border village in Homs countryside) Year of birth: 1990 Number of children: Two daughters |
| Name: Mohsen Salim al-Salim Origin: al-Ghasaniya (border village in Homs countryside) Year of birth: 1983 Number of children: One son, one daughter | Name: Waseem Mahmoud al-Ali Origin: al-Faruqiya Year of birth: 2000 Number of children: None (unmarried) |
| Name: Muhammad Hussein al-Salim Origin: Akum (border village in Homs countryside) Year of birth: 1988 Number of children: Two sons, one daughter | Name: Ala’ Hussein al-Muhammad Origin: al-Bajajiya Year of birth: 1985 Number of children: Three daughters |
| Name: Yusuf Tarad al-Dankawi Origin: al-Ghasaniya Year of birth: 1992 Number of children: None (unmarried) | Name: Bassam Ibrahim al-Ali Origin: al-Salmiya (Hama) Year of birth: 1990 Number of children: One son, one daughter |
| Name: Salim Mustafa Kanyar Origin: al-Wa’er (Homs city) Year of birth: 1989 Number of children: One son, one daughter | Name: Abd al-Rahman Khidr al-Hada Origin: al-Bajajiya (but had lived in al-Qasr) Year of birth: 1998 Number of children: None (unmarried) |
| Name: Hassan Saleh al-Muhammad Origin: al-Aqarabiya (border village in Homs countryside) Year of birth: 1991 Number of children: None (unmarried) |
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi is a research fellow at Middle East Forum’s Jihad Intel project.
