3rd Corps (Syria)
| 3rd Corps | |
|---|---|
| الفيلق الثالث | |
| File:Syrian Armed Forces Flag.svg Syrian Armed Forces Flag | |
| Active | 1986 - c.2024 |
| Country | File:Flag of the United Arab Republic (1958–1971), Flag of Syria (1980–2024).svg Ba'athist Syria Surrendered |
| Allegiance | File:Flag of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces (1980–2024).svg Syrian Arab Armed Forces Surrendered |
| Branch | File:Flag of the Syrian Arab Army.svg Syrian Arab Army Surrendered |
| Type | Corps |
| Size | up to 45,000 soldiers[1] |
| Garrison/HQ | Aleppo |
| Engagements | Syrian Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Maj. Gen. Mohammad Khaddour |
,_Flag_of_Syria_(1980%E2%80%932024).svg){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
The 3rd Corps (Arabic: الفيلق الثالث) was a corps of the Syrian Army. It was first formed in 1986. Declassified CIA documents from February 1987 say that the 3rd Corps and 17th and 18th Armoured Divisions were established in 1986.[2] The three corps were formed "to give the Army more flexibility and to improve combat efficiency by decentralising the command structure, absorbing at least some of the lessons learned during the 1982 Lebanon War."[3] The 3rd Corps HQ was in Aleppo, based in the north and covered Hama, the Turkish and Iraqi borders, the Mediterranean coastline and was tasked with protecting the complex of chemical and biological warfare and missile production and launch facilities.[3]
On 30 December 2023, Major General Ahmed Moalla was named as commander of the 3rd Corps.
In 2001 Richard Bennett wrote that the corps consisted of the 2nd Reserve Armoured Division (14th and 15th Armoured Brigades; 19th Mechanized Brigade); a coastal defence brigade; and other units, including four independent infantry brigades, one border guard brigade, one independent armoured regiment, effectively a brigade group, and one special forces regiment.[3] It now appears that the 2nd Reserve Armoured Division may never have existed.
Structure in 2013
[edit | edit source]- 3rd Armored Division
- 11th Armoured Division
- 17th Division (HQ Deir ez-Zor)
- 137th Mechanized Brigade
- 93rd Armoured Brigade[5]
- 18th Armoured Division (HQ Aleppo)[6]
- 131st, 134th and 167th Armoured Brigades
- 120th Mechanized Brigade
- 64th Artillery Regiment
Structure in 2019
[edit | edit source]- 3rd Armoured Division (Syria)
- 8th Armored Division (formed in 2015)[9]
- 11th Armored Division[12]
- 17th Reserve Division
- 18th Armored Division[6]
- 131st, 134th and 167th Armored Brigades
- 120th Mechanized Brigade
- 64th Artillery Regiment
- File:Syr-tag-border-Guards.svg Border Guard Forces[14]
- 5th Regiment (Hasakah pocket)
- 6th Regiment (Southern Homs)
- 8th Regiment (Jordan-Syria border)
- 10th Regiment (Iraq-Syria border)
- 11th Regiment (Latakia)
- 12th Regiment (Manbij and Ayn al-Arab)
- Unknown Regiment (likely Lebanon-Syria border)
- 87th Battalion (Talkalakh)
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Near East and South Asia Analysis, p27.
- ^ a b c Bennett 2001.
- ^ a b c Cooper 2015, p. 18.
- ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Cooper 2015, p. 13, 18-19.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Notes
[edit | edit source]- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). (August/September 2001)
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).