Raqqa Hawks Brigade

The Raqqa Hawks Brigade was originally formed as battalion of the Front of Raqqa Revolutionaries in early 2015, but left the group sometime during 2016. The Russian Armed Forces and the Israeli Begin–Sadat Center have described the Raqqa Hawks Brigade as Free Syrian Army-affiliated faction,{{cite web|url=https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/turkey-syria-quagmire/ |title=Turkey's Syrian Quagmire |author=Burak Bekdil |work=Begin–Sadat Center for Strategic Studies |date=10 October 2018 |access-date=17 February 2019}} but there have also been allegations that the militia is actually loyal to the Syrian government.{{sfnp|Favier|2018|p=8}} For example, a representative of the Raqqa Hawks reportedly met with Ba'ath Party officials in Qamishli in September 2016. Members of the militia have stated that their primary aim was revenge against ISIL in general and to free their homelands from ISIL's regime.

In December 2015, the Russian Armed Forces General Staff claimed that the Russian Air Force bombed ISIL targets north of Raqqa to support the Ghanim group, part of the Raqqa Hawks Brigade.

When the group joined the campaign to capture Raqqa in November 2016, it had around 1,000 fighters and was expected to be a "key component of the fight for the city". The Raqqa Hawks Brigade possesses several technicals and gun trucks, the latter of which were mostly captured from ISIL.{{cite web|url=http://imgur.com/gallery/BFX5n|title=Liwa Suqur al Raqqa - لواء صقور الرقة - Raqqa Hawks Brigade|author=KufriusMaximus|date=19 January 2017|access-date=23 January 2017}} In mid-November, the Raqqa Hawks Brigade took part in the several days-long battle for Tal Saman, the ISIL headquarters in the northern Raqqa countryside.

In December, tensions rose between the Front of Raqqa Revolutionaries and the Raqqa Hawks Brigade, with several military commanders of the former reportedly defecting to the latter. On 27 December, however, the Front of Raqqa Revolutionaries commanders claimed on video that they had been kidnapped by the Raqqa Hawks Brigade and forced to announce their defection, and that they were still loyal to their old group.{{cite web|url=http://www.baladi-news.com/ar/news/details/14265/%D9%82%D8%B3%D8%AF_%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A8_%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%A1%D9%87%D8%A7_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8_%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%82%D8%A9_%D9%8A%D9%83%D8%B4%D9%81%D9%88%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%B7|title="Intentionally" fights Arab allies .. and "revolutionaries tenderness" reveal planned|work=Baladi News|date=27 December 2016|access-date=23 January 2017|archive-date=21 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421095324/https://www.baladi-news.com/ar/news/details/14265/%D9%82%D8%B3%D8%AF_%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A8_%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%A1%D9%87%D8%A7_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8_%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%82%D8%A9_%D9%8A%D9%83%D8%B4%D9%81%D9%88%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%B7|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.raqqapost.com/20622/2016/12/26 |title=ما دور "وحدات الحماية" في تفتيت "لواء ثوار الرقة"؟ |trans-title=What is the role of the "protection units" in the fragmentation of the "Brigade of the Revolutionaries of Raqqa"? |work=Raqqa Post |language=Arabic |date=26 December 2016 |access-date=27 January 2018}}

On 20 February 2017, one sub-commander of the Raqqa Hawks Brigade, Abu Yamen al-Meko, who reportedly had strong links to the Military Intelligence Directorate, declared his loyalty to Bashar al-Assad and formed the pro-government unit "Northern Union". His followers consequently raised the Ba'athist flag at their headquarters in the village of al-Fares. These actions, however, provoked the Front of Raqqa Revolutionaries' ire, which launched a surprise attack on al-Fares two days later and destroyed al-Meko's faction, killing or capturing its members. The Front of Raqqa Revolutionaries went on to declare that it "would never allow the regime and its supporting militia to re-enter the city [of Raqqa] by any means".

File:SDF flags during Battle of Tabqa.png.]]

On 11 April, the US Air Force mistakenly bombed a position held by the Raqqa Hawks Brigade near the city of al-Thawrah and killed around 17 fighters from the group. BBC producer Riam Dalati went on to claim that the airstrike had been called in by the YPG, which was denied by YPG spokesman Rêdûr Xelîl. The killed fighters were buried with full military honors on the next day near Tell Abyad, with thousands of locals participating in the funeral.{{cite web|url=https://www.grasswire.com/2017/04/misdirected-us-coalition-airstrike-killed-18-sdf-personnel-near-tabqa-syria/|title='Misdirected' US coalition airstrike killed 18 SDF personnel near Tabqa, Syria|author=Fergus Kelly|work=Grasswire|date=13 April 2017|access-date=13 April 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://en.hawarnews.com/gire-sipi-holds-funeral-ceremonies-for-17-strugglers/|title=Girê Sipî holds funeral ceremonies for 17 strugglers|work=Hawar News Agency|date=13 April 2017 |access-date=30 June 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417231633/http://en.hawarnews.com/gire-sipi-holds-funeral-ceremonies-for-17-strugglers/ |archive-date=17 April 2017 }}{{cite web|url=http://ku.hawarnews.com/17-cangori-bi-merasimeke-bi-heybet-hatin-oxirkirin/|title=17 cangorî bi merasîmeke bi heybet hatin oxirkirin|author=|work=Hawar News Agency|language=Kurdish|date=13 April 2017|access-date=13 April 2017|archive-date=14 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414162245/http://ku.hawarnews.com/17-cangori-bi-merasimeke-bi-heybet-hatin-oxirkirin/|url-status=dead}} The Carter Center claimed that the Raqqa Hawks blamed the YPG for the bombing, and had declared that they would leave the entire Raaqa campaign.{{cite web|url=https://www.cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/peace/conflict_resolution/syria-conflict/weeklyconflictsummary4-6-12.pdf |title=Weekly Conflict Summary. April 06-12, 2017 |author= |work=Carter Center |date=12 April 2017 |access-date= 28 August 2017}} This was contradicted by the fact that the group continued to fight alongside the YPG for Raqqa in the following months.{{sfnp|Favier|2018|p=8}}

According to a pro-Syrian opposition news outlet, a minor skirmish between the YPG and Raqqa Hawks Brigade fighters took place in northern Tell Abyad in late May. The reason for this incident allegedly was that the YPG had attempted to arrest Raqqa Hawks Brigade members who were suspected of supporting the Assad government.{{cite web|url=https://www.nso-sy.com/Details/452/Injuries-in-clashes-between-YPG-and-Suqoor-al-Raqqa-Brigade-in-Tal-Abyad/en |title=Injuries in clashes between YPG and Suqoor al-Raqqa Brigade in Tal Abyad |author=Obada Al-Hussien |work=Northern Syria Observer |date=31 May 2017|access-date=7 December 2017}}

Following the conquest of al-Thawrah, the Raqqa Hawks Brigade took part in the advance on Raqqa,{{cite web|url=http://www.alalam.ir/news/1976501/فرار--والي-الشام--مع-عائلته-إلى-دير-الزور |title="فرار "والي الشام" مع عائلته إلى دير الزور |trans-title=The "Wali al-Sham" fled with his family to Deir al-Zour |work=Al-Alam News Network |language=Arabic |date=31 May 2017 |access-date=27 January 2018}} and was among the SDF units that took part in the assault on the city in June 2017,{{cite web|url=https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2017/06/street-war-begins-capital-caliphate/ |title=The "Street War" Begins in the "Capital of the Caliphate" |author= |work=Enab Baladi |date=16 June 2016 |access-date=22 February 2018}} taking part in the fight for its Roman neighborhood.{{cn|date=October 2020}}

On 26 August 2017, the YPG raided the headquarters of the Raqqa Hawks Brigade's Ghanim group in Tell Abyad and captured 15 fighters, including the commander of the group, Fayad Ghanim, in addition to seizing their weapons. Several other fighters from the group fled to Syrian government-controlled territory in the eastern Raqqa countryside. The YPG accused the Ghanim group of coordinating with government forces during their offensive near the area. Despite his purported arrest, Fayad Ghanim too eventually managed to flee into government-controlled areas, where he met and was photographed with the head of the Tiger Forces, Suheil al-Hassan.{{cite web |url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-two-top-us-backed-sdf-commanders-defect-syrian-army-photo/ |title=BREAKING: Two top US-backed SDF commanders defect to Syrian Army (Photos) |author=Andrew Illingworth |work=Al-Masdar News |date=28 August 2017 |access-date=28 August 2017 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612144649/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-two-top-us-backed-sdf-commanders-defect-syrian-army-photo/ |url-status=dead }}

Overall, several commanders of the Raqqa Hawks Brigade defected to the government over the course of 2017, and according to WINEP, the loyalty of those who stayed with the SDF remains "dubious".{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/tal-abyad-achilles-heel-of-the-syrian-kurdish-belt |title=Tal Abyad: Achilles Heel of the Syrian Kurdish Belt |author=Fabrice Balanche |work=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy |date=21 December 2018 |access-date=17 February 2019}} By 2018, a unit known as "Raqqa Hawks Brigade" had become active as part of the pro-government Tiger Forces.{{cite web|url=https://www.almodon.com/print/607ac4ab-1f1e-41e5-95e1-487ce7b405af/123f47f0-c9d5-4122-95fa-550c9a5caf22 |title=السويداء: "فاطميون" و"النمر" و"حزب الله" لقيادة معركة درعا |trans-title=As-Suwayda: Fatimion, Al-Nimr and Hezbollah to lead the battle of Daraa |work=Almodon |language=Arabic |date=26 June 2018 |access-date=11 August 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.almodon.com/arabworld/2019/5/17/ريف-حماة-مليشيات-النظام-مشغولة-بالتعفيش |title=ريف حماة: مليشيات النظام مشغولة بالتعفيش! |trans-title=Hama countryside: the regime's militias are busy with Altafish! |work=Almodon |language=Arabic |date=17 May 2019 |access-date=11 August 2018}} It is unclear whether this unit has any relation to the SDF group of the same name. The pro-opposition news site Zaman al Wasl news site continued to list the Raqqa Hawks Brigade as an SDF member group in early 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.zamanalwsl.net/news/article/99805/ |title=التجنيد الإجباري أولى دعوات "قسد" في 2019! |trans-title=Forced conscription bsy the SDF in 2019 |work=Zaman al Wasl |language=Arabic |date=2 January 2019 |access-date=12 August 2019}}

Though the Raqqa Hawks Brigade reportedly includes mostly fighters from Raqqa, at least one of its sub-units, the Ghanim group, is composed of people from northern Raqqa Governorate, primarily Tell Abyad. The militia also recruited a substantial number of fighters from the Naim, al-Baggara, and Anazzah tribes.

The Ghanim group was accused by pro-opposition media to be partly funded and equipped by the Air Force Intelligence Directorate and Russia, and several members of the unit actually defected to the Syrian Army in August 2017. Another sub-unit was the group of Abu Yamen al-Meko, who later formed the pro-Assad faction "Northern Union". This group was based in the village of al-Fares west of Tell Abyad, and was eventually destroyed by Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa on 22 February 2017.

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book| last = Favier| first = Agnes| title = Syria After Islamic State: "Everything Needs to Change, So Everything Can Stay the Same"? |publisher = Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies | date = February 2018| url = http://diana-n.iue.it:8080/bitstream/handle/1814/51925/ResearchReport_2018_01.pdf }}

{{Syrian Civil War}}

Category:Anti-ISIL factions in Syria

Category:Syrian Democratic Forces

Category:Military units and formations established in 2016

Category:2016 establishments in Syria