The 1st Coastal Division, formerly known as the Brigade of the Chargers ( ar, لواء العاديات), is a Syrian rebel group that is affiliated with the Free Syrian Army and has been vetted by the

Friends of Syria Group The Group of Friends of the Syrian People (sometimes Friends of Syria Group, Friends of the Syrian People Group, Friends of Democratic Syria or simply Friends of Syria) is an international diplomatic collective of countries and bodies convening p ...

. It received

TOW missile The BGM-71 TOW ("Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided") is an American anti-tank missile. TOW replaced much smaller missiles like the SS.10 and ENTAC, offering roughly twice the effective range, a more powerful warhead, and a greatly ...

s and operates in the Idlib and northern Latakia governorates. The group received training and funding from

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

. It is a former member of the

Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades The Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades ( ar, ألوية أحفاد الرسول ''Al-wīat Aḥfād ar-Rasūl'', "Grandsons of the Prophet Brigades") was a Syrian rebel group fighting against the Syrian government in the Syrian Civil War. It was funded b ...

History

The group participated in the

2014 Latakia offensive The 2014 Latakia offensive was a rebel offensive in the Latakia Governorate of Syria launched on 21 March 2014 by rebel Islamist groups including Al-Nusra Front, which called the offensive "Anfal", while a coalition of Supreme Military Council ...

and the

2015 Jisr al-Shughur offensive Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

with a wide array of Syrian opposition forces. As part of the Latakia offensive, the group briefly captured the Mediterranean town of Kasab, acquiring their name. 1st Coastal Division is famous for including Free Syrian Army

war hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero' ...

Abo Hamza who became notable on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

for his many skillful

BGM-71 TOW The BGM-71 TOW ("Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided") is an American anti-tank missile. TOW replaced much smaller missiles like the SS.10 and ENTAC, offering roughly twice the effective range, a more powerful warhead, and a greatly ...

missile shots. In October 2015 the 1st Coastal Division's chief of staff, Captain Basil Zamo, was killed in a Russian airstrike on

Jabal al-Akrad Jabal al-Akrad ( ar, جبل الأكراد ''Jabal al-Akrād'', ''Mountain of the Kurds'') is a rural mountainous region with an elevation that ranges from 400 to 1,000 meters above sea level, in northwestern Syria along the Syrian Coastal Moun ...

, Latakia. In April 2016, the group together with Ahrar al-Sham, Al-Nusra Front, and the

Turkistan Islamic Party The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) or the Turkistan Islamic Movement (TIM), formerly known as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and other names, is a Uyghur Islamic extremist organization founded in Western China. Its stated goals ar ...

attacked Syrian government positions in northeastern

Latakia Governorate Latakia Governorate, also transliterated as Ladhakia Governorate, ( ar, مُحافظة اللاذقية / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat al-Lādhiqīyah'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in western Syria, bordering Turkey's Hata ...

, capturing the villages of Nakshaba, al-Bayyada and 50% of Mount Qamou'. On 30 June 2017, military commanders of the 21st Combined Force, the 23rd Division, the Central Division, and the 1st Coastal Division signed the

Geneva Call Geneva Call is a non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. It is currently focusing its efforts on banning the use of anti-personnel mines, protecting children from the effects of armed conflict, prohibiting sexual violence in ar ...

's "Deed of Agreement" pledging to protect children in the war, prohibit

sexual violence Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, act to traffic a person, or act directed against a person's sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim.World Health Organization., World re ...

, and prevent

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers pri ...

. In May 2018, along with 10 other rebel groups in northwestern Syria, the 1st Coastal Division formed the National Front for Liberation, which was officially announced on 28 May.

References

External links

1st Coastal Division's YouTube Channel
{{Syrian Civil War Anti-government factions of the Syrian civil war Free Syrian Army Military units and formations established in 2014 2014 establishments in Syria

History

See also

References

External links