The MEDirections is delighted to share a new Research Project Report from the Wartime and Post Conflict in Syria project (WPCS).
From Insurgents to Soldiers: The Fifth Assault Corps in Daraa, Southern Syria
In November 2016, Russia pushed for the formation of the Fifth Assault Corps (FAC), a division of the Syrian Arab Army. Following the negotiations that led rebels to capitulate in July 2018, the FAC established its 8th Brigade in Daraa and began to implement a process of ‘rebel military integration’ (RMI).
This paper discusses Russia’s objectives behind the creation of the FAC and offers a typology of its constituents. It then provides an overview of the 8th Brigade as well as the profiles of its fighters.
Finally, this paper investigates the motives and incentives that shape former rebels’ preferences to engage in RMI in southern Syria.