| Arab Nationalist Guard الحرس القومي العربي | |
|---|---|
  Arab National Guard emblem and flag | |
| Dates of operation | April 2013–? |
| Headquarters | Sidon,Lebanon[1] |
| Active regions | WesternSyria |
| Ideology | Arab nationalism Pan-Arabism Anti-Zionism Nasserism Anti-imperialism Secularism |
| Size | 1,000(May 2014)[2] |
| Allies |  Syrian Armed Forces (until 2024) National Defense Forces (until 2024) Hezbollah (until 2024) Ba'ath Brigades (until 2018) |
| Opponents |  Free Syrian Army Ahrar al-Sham Jaysh al-Islam Al-Nusra Front |
| Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War
|
TheArab Nationalist Guard (Arabic:الحرس القومي العربي) was a secularvolunteermilitia force operating in Syria. The group espouses anArab nationalist ideology. The Arab Nationalist Guard's membership includes nationalists from a variety ofArab countries.
Formed in April 2013 by pan-Arab volunteers to fight against "allTakfiri movements that aim to strike our unity and sow divisions between Arabs",[1] the Arab Nationalist Guard bolstered the ranks ofBashar al-Assad's government amid the2012–13 escalation of the Syrian Civil War. The group quickly started to closely cooperate with the SyrianNational Defence Forces militia network. From late 2013 to early 2014, the Arab Nationalist Guard primarily fought in theRif Dimashq Governorate, though was also present at other conflict zones inAleppo Governorate,Deraa Governorate, andHoms Governorate. It was prominently involved in government offensives inQalamoun at the time.[1][5]
By 2017, the unit had taken up positions in Deraa city.[6] It later fought in theSiege of Eastern Ghouta.[7][8] In 2020, the IsraeliShin Bet security service arrested members of a purportedPopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine cell which had planned resistance attacks against Israeli targets and reportedly cooperated with the Arab Nationalist Guard and its civilian wing, the Arab Nationalist Youth.[9] It was still operating in Damascus by early 2021.[10]
The group's ideology falls in line withGamal Abdel Nasser'span-Arab ideals (Nasserism),[1] as well as withanti-Zionism andanti-imperialism. It claims to oppose "sectarian, ethnic, or religious extremism", and also supports an independentState of Palestine.[5] In its imagery and textual output, the militia has emphasized Nasser, Venezuelan PresidentHugo Chávez,Hezbollah, Iraqi PresidentSaddam Hussein andBashar al-Assad as praiseworthy examples.[5]
In its manifesto, the Arab Nationalist Guard stated that it included at least four units, namely theWadie Haddad battalion,Haydar al-Amali battalion,Mohamed Brahmi battalion, andJules Jammal battalion.[1][5] The units' names are inspired by Arab politicians and martyrs who have ledsecularist and Arab national movements in the Middle East and North Africa region or were killed byIslamists.[5][2] It has set up a camp inal-Malihah.[10]
The militia is linked to the "Arab Nationalist Youth".[5][9] The latter is active in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, as well as Egypt, and has provided recruits from the Arab Nationalist Guard.[5] The militia has recruited fighters from Syria, Egypt,Algeria,Libya, Iraq,Lebanon, Palestine,Tunisia, andYemen.[2][5] It has also recruitedSyrian Palestinians.[11] Some of their militiamen had fought previously in theLibyan Civil War and theIraq War.[2] Despite the militia's Arab nationalist ideology, one member stated that it also includes non-Arab fighters such asKurds andBerbers, regarding all of them as part of theUmmah.[5]
The Arab Nationalist Guard is supported by Hezbollah trainers, and has good connections with the wing ofHamas that does not support theMuslim Brotherhood.[10]
 | This article related to aparamilitary organization or suspected paramilitary organization is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
