The Syriac Military Council ( syr, ܡܘܬܒܐ ܦܘܠܚܝܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ, translit=Mawtbo Fulḥoyo Suryoyo, MFS; ar, المجلس العسكري السرياني السوري) is an
Assyrian/Syriac military organisation in
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, part of the
Syrian Democratic Forces. The establishment of the organisation was announced on 8 January 2013. According to the Syriac Military Council, the goal of the organisation is to stand up for the national rights of and to protect Assyrians in Syria. It operates mostly in the densely populated Assyrian areas of
Al-Hasakah Governorate
Al-Hasakah Governorate ( ar, محافظة الحسكة, Muḥāfaẓat al-Ḥasakah, ku, Parêzgeha Hesekê}, syc, ܗܘܦܪܟܝܐ ܕܚܣܟܗ, Huparkiyo d'Ḥasake, also known as syc, ܓܙܪܬܐ, Gozarto) is one of the fourteen governorates (pro ...
, and is affiliated to the
Syriac Union Party.
On 16 December 2013, the Syriac Military Council announced the foundation of a new Military Academy named "Martyr Abgar".
On December 24, the MFS released photographs showing its members in control of the Assyrian village of Ghardukah, located south of
Qahtaniyah (Tirbespiyê/Qabre Hewore). The village church had been completely destroyed by
Jabhat al-Nusra
Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra ( ar, جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام, Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahl ish-Sham lit. ''Front of the Supporters of the People of Syria/the Levant''), known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ( ar, جبهة فتح ال ...
, which occupied the hamlet before being expelled in mid-October during an operation launched by the
People's Protection Units
The People's Defense Units (YPG), (YPG) ; ar, وحدات حماية الشعب, Waḥdāt Ḥimāyat aš-Šaʽb) also called People's Protection Units, is a mainly- Kurdish militia in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democra ...
(YPG), in which MFS members may have participated. The Syriac Military Council established an all-female military and police unit called the
Bethnahrain Women's Protection Forces
The Bethnahrain Women's Protection Forces ( syc, ܚܝܠܘ̈ܬܐ ܕܣܘܬܪܐ ܕܢܫ̈ܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܢܗܪܝܢ, translit=Ḥaylawotho d'Sutoro d'Neshe d'Beth Nahrin; HSNB) is an all-female Assyrian military and police organization based in al-Qahtan ...
in September 2015.
History
Tell Brak & Tel Hamis operations (2013–14)
The MFS was a part of a YPG-led offensive against
Jabhat al-Nusra
Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra ( ar, جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام, Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahl ish-Sham lit. ''Front of the Supporters of the People of Syria/the Levant''), known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ( ar, جبهة فتح ال ...
and the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
(ISIL), which began on 26 December 2013 in the
Tel Hamis area. The YPG and MFS were unable to hold
Tell Brak
Tell Brak (Nagar, Nawar) was an ancient city in Syria; its remains constitute a tell located in the Upper Khabur region, near the modern village of Tell Brak, 50 kilometers north-east of Al-Hasaka city, Al-Hasakah Governorate. The city' ...
and failed to capture Tel Hamis, and the offensive was called off in early January. Tell Brak was captured on February 23 in a pre-dawn raid by the YPG and the Syriac Military Council.
June 2014 Syria–Iraq border offensive
MFS, along with YPG forces, participated in an offensive along the
Syria-Iraq border. The joint forces managed to drive out Islamic State forces after the jihadist group had taken control of
Mosul
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...
and most of
Nineveh Governorate during the
Northern Iraq offensive. The operation led to the full control of
Til-Koçar.
August 2014 Sinjar offensive
The MFS, along with YPG forces and other allies, participated in an offensive against the Islamic State in the district of
Sinjar
Sinjar ( ar, سنجار, Sinjār; ku, شنگال, translit=Şingal, syr, ܫܝܓܪ, Shingar) is a town in the Sinjar District of the Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq. It is located about five kilometers south of the Sinjar Mountains. Its p ...
in Iraq's province of
Nineveh, to rescue 35,000
Yazidis
Yazidis or Yezidis (; ku, ئێزیدی, translit=Êzidî) are a Kurmanji-speaking endogamous minority group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. The ma ...
in the
Sinjar Mountains after the
Sinjar massacre.
Khabur Valley operations (2015–16)
the Islamic State launched a series of attacks in late February 2015 against Christian villages in the
Khabur River valley, with the ultimate goal of capturing the strategic town of
Tel Tamer
Tell Tamer ( ar, تَلّ تَمْر, Tall Tamr, ku, گرێ خورما, Girê Xurma or Til Temir, syr, ܬܠ ܬܡܪ) also known as Tal Tamr or Tal Tamir, is a town in western al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. It is the administrative c ...
, then under control of the YPG and MFS. In early March 2015, units of the Syriac Military Council and the YPG were involved in heavy clashes in the region, notably around the villages of Tel Nasri and Tel Mghas. On 15 March 2015, the Council reported it was in control of Tel Mghas.
On 11 October 2015, the Syriac Military Council became one of the founding groups in the
Syrian Democratic Forces. On 31 October, the SDF launched an
offensive southwards along the Khabur River. The SDF, which also includes the YPG, YPJ, MFS,
al-Sanadid Forces
The Forces of the Brave ( ar, جيش الصناديد / قوات الصناديد, translit=Quwwāt aṣ-Ṣanādīd / Jayš aṣ-Ṣanādīd), generally called the al-Sanadid Forces, are a militia formed by the Arab Shammar tribe to fight agains ...
, the
Liberation Brigade, and the
Army of Revolutionaries, captured the town of
al-Hawl
Al-Hawl ( ar-at, ٱلْهَوْل, al-Hawl, lit="swampland"), also spelled al-Hole, al-Hol, al-Hool and al-Houl, is a town in eastern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria, under control of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syr ...
on 13 November. After the capture of al-Hawl, the SDF aimed to capture the town of
al-Shaddadi further south.
On 16 February 2016, the
Shaddadi offensive was launched by the SDF, which resulted in the SDF capture of the town and hundreds of other villages. During the offensive, ISIL released 42 Assyrian hostages they abducted during the
Eastern al-Hasakah offensive
The Eastern al-Hasakah offensive was launched in the Al-Hasakah Governorate during the Syrian Civil War, by the Kurdish-majority People's Protection Units, Assyrian Christian militias, and allied Arab forces against the jihadist Islamic State of ...
in February 2015.
Raqqa (2016–17)
The Syriac Military Council along with the Bethnahrin Women's Protection Forces took part in the SDF's
campaign
Campaign or The Campaign may refer to:
Types of campaigns
* Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed
*Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme
* Bl ...
to capture
Raqqa
Raqqa ( ar, ٱلرَّقَّة, ar-Raqqah, also and ) (Kurdish: Reqa/ ڕەقە) is a city in Syria on the northeast bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, ...
from ISIL, declaring that "the fight against terrorism is the fight for existence of our Syriac–Assyrian people and we cannot rest until this fight is won." As of January 2017, 6 MFS fighters were killed during the Raqqa campaign.
On 22 January 2017, the
European Syriac Union in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
requested the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and its
Trump administration
Donald Trump's tenure as the 45th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican from New York City, took office following his Electoral College victory ...
to provide more support for the Assyrian and Kurdish components of the Syrian Democratic Forces. The US reportedly favoured the Arab components in the SDF. On 3 April, the MFS and the HSNB reaffirmed the request for more support from the US. In late 2017, the MFS forces under Abjer Abjer participated in the
offensive to eliminate the last ISIL strongholds in
Deir ez-Zor Governorate.
2018
On 20 January 2018, Kino Gabriel, the spokesman for the Syria Military Council was also made the spokesman for the
SDF;
he was succeeded as spokesman for MFS by Abgar David.
The MFS also announced their intention to fight alongside the YPG/YPJ against the
Turkish military operation in Afrin
Operation Olive Branch ( tr, Zeytin Dalı Harekâtı) was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army (SNA) in the majority-Kurdish Afrin District of northwest Syria, against the People's Pro ...
in early 2018, sending troops from
al-Hasakah Governorate
Al-Hasakah Governorate ( ar, محافظة الحسكة, Muḥāfaẓat al-Ḥasakah, ku, Parêzgeha Hesekê}, syc, ܗܘܦܪܟܝܐ ܕܚܣܟܗ, Huparkiyo d'Ḥasake, also known as syc, ܓܙܪܬܐ, Gozarto) is one of the fourteen governorates (pro ...
to Afrin. The MFS fighters who were still involved in the offensive against ISIL remained in Deir ez-Zor, however, "because our war with ISIS didn’t end".
On 7 February 2018 a smaller contingent of MFS fighters arrived in Afrin.
2019
The MFS fought in the
Battle of Baghuz Fawqani
The Battle of Baghuz Fawqani was an offensive by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), assisted by Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) airstrikes, artillery, and special forces personnel, that began on 9 February ...
, the last phase of the Deir ez-Zor campaign against ISIL.
Syriac-Assyrian Military Council
On 6 July 2019, the MFS and
Khabour Guards
The Khabour Guards ( syr, ܡܘܬܒܐ ܕܢܛܘܪ̈ܐ ܕܚܒܘܪ, Mawtḇā d-Nāṭorē d-Ḥābor; ar, مجلس حرس الخابور الآشوري) is an Assyrian militia in Syria created after the collapse of Syrian government control in th ...
announced the formation of the Syriac-Assyrian Military Council ( ar, المجلس العسكري السرياني الاشوري) in order to unify the Assyrian-Syriac military organizations within the
Khabour region. The declaration said the military council would work within the political ideals of the Syriac Union Party and the
Syrian Democratic Council
The Syrian Democratic Council ( ku, Meclîsa Sûriya Demokratîk, MSD; ar, مجلس سوريا الديمقراطية; syc, ܡܘܬܒܐ ܕܣܘܪܝܐ ܕܝܡܩܪܛܝܬܐ, translit=Mawtbo d'Suriya Demoqraṭoyto) is the political wing of the Syri ...
.
Flags
See also
*
Bethnahrain Women's Protection Forces
The Bethnahrain Women's Protection Forces ( syc, ܚܝܠܘ̈ܬܐ ܕܣܘܬܪܐ ܕܢܫ̈ܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܢܗܪܝܢ, translit=Ḥaylawotho d'Sutoro d'Neshe d'Beth Nahrin; HSNB) is an all-female Assyrian military and police organization based in al-Qahtan ...
*
Sutoro
The Syriac Security Office ( syr, ܡܟܬܒܐ ܕܣܘܬܪܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ, Mawtbo d'Sutoro Suryoyo, ar, سوتورو), commonly known as the Sutoro or the Sutoro Police, is a Christian Assyrian/Syriac police force in Jazira Region of the Autonom ...
*
Sootoro
The Gozarto Protection Forces ( syr, ܚܝܠܘ̈ܬܐ ܕܣܘܬܪܐ ܕܓܙܪܬܐ, ar, سوتورو, GPF) and Sootoro ( syr, ܣܘܬܪܐ), united as one organisation, are a regional militia based in Qamishli, Al-Hasakah Governorate, Syria, composed o ...
*
Khabour Guards
The Khabour Guards ( syr, ܡܘܬܒܐ ܕܢܛܘܪ̈ܐ ܕܚܒܘܪ, Mawtḇā d-Nāṭorē d-Ḥābor; ar, مجلس حرس الخابور الآشوري) is an Assyrian militia in Syria created after the collapse of Syrian government control in th ...
*
Nattoreh
The Assyrian People's Guard – Nattoreh ( syr, ܢܛܘܪ̈ܐ ܕܬܠ ܬܡܪ ܐܫܘܪܝܐ, Naṭore d'Tel Tamer Ashoraye; ar, اللجنه الشعبيه للحرس الأشوري) is an Assyrian militia of the Syrian Democratic Forces. It is bas ...
*
Syriac Union Party (Syria)
Syriac Union Party in Syria ( syr, ܓܒܐ ܕܚܘܝܕܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ, translit=Gabo d'Ḥuyodo Suryoyo, ar, حزب الإتحاد السرياني في سوريا, SUP) is a secular Assyrian/Syriac political party in Syria that represents the in ...
*
European Syriac Union
*
Dawronoye
Dawronoye ( syr, ܕܲܘܪܵܢܵܝܹܐ) is a secular, leftist, national liberation movement among the Assyrian people. Ideologically characterized by progressive ideas and including socialist elements, its founding roots can be traced to the late ...
*
Nineveh Plain Forces
The Nineveh Plain Forces ( syr, ܚܝ̈ܠܘܬܐ ܕܕܫܬܐ ܕܢܝܢܘܐ, translit=Ḥaylawotho d'Deshto d'Ninwe) or NPF was a military organization that was formed on 6 January 2015 by the indigenous Christian Assyrian people in Iraq, in cooper ...
*
Nineveh Plain Protection Units
The Nineveh Plain Protection Units ( syc, ܚܕܝ̈ܘܬ ܣܬܪܐ ܕܫܛܚܐ ܕܢܝܢܘܐ ; ar, وحدات حماية سهل نينوى) or NPU is an Assyrian military organization that was formed in late 2014, largely but not exclusively by Ass ...
*
List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War
A number of states and armed groups have involved themselves in the ongoing Syrian Civil War as belligerents.
Syrian Arab Republic and allies
A number of sources have emphasized that as of at least late-2015/early-2016 the Syrian Arab Republic ...
*
Qaraqosh Protection Committee
The Qaraqosh Protection Committee (also known as the Nineveh Plains Security Forces) is an armed militia formed by Assyrians living in the city of Bakhdida, in Ninawa Governorate of Iraq. The committee, formed in 2004, was organized through local ...
References
Works cited
*
{{Assyrian topics
Assyrians in Syria
Assyrian organizations
Anti-government factions of the Syrian civil war
Al-Hasakah Governorate in the Syrian civil war
Politics of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
2013 establishments in Syria
Organizations established in 2013
Syrian Democratic Forces
Dawronoye