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Syrian Resistance
Syrian Resistance
Syrian Resistance
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The Syrian Resistance (Arabic: المقاومة السورية, romanized: al-Muqāwamat al-Sūriyah), formerly known as the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Sanjak of Iskandarun (Arabic: الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير لواء اسكندرون), is a Marxist-Leninist pro-Assad militia that operated in northwest Syria in support of the Ba'athist regime during the civil war.

Key Information

Background

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The movement is led by Mihrac Ural, a Turkish Alawite who has Syrian citizenship[9] and is also known as "Ali Kayyali" (علي كيالي).[6][10] According to Today's Zaman, Ural was the leader of a clandestine insurgent cell in Hatay Province called the People's Liberation Party-Front of Turkey or Acilciler (The Urgentists). Zaman further alleged that Ural's group has sought to agitate Hatay's sizable Alawite population into confrontation with the Turkish authorities and has also recruited local Alawites to fight in Syria on behalf of the Syrian government.[11] The group claims to also have supporters among Syria's Sunni Muslims and Christians.[6]

Though the group openly espouses a broadly-inclusive platform of Syrian nationalism in addition to secular leftism, it has been claimed that its primary focus is the defence of the Alawite and Twelver Shi’a religious minorities of Syria.[6] The Syrian Resistance has been accused by the Syrian opposition of being a sectarian Alawite militia, and of having carried out bombings and attacks in Turkey and on villages in Syria. However, Sheikh Muwaffaq al-Ghazal, a member of the Islamic Alawi Council, claims it has an inclusive national line regarding religion, race and gender.[12]

History

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Founded before the Syrian Civil War's outbreak under the name "Popular Front for the Liberation of the Sanjak of Iskandarun", the militia has been most active in Latakia Governorate,[6] where its members reportedly committed a massacre in the town of Baniyas in 2013. The Turkish government has also suspected the Syrian Resistance of carrying out the Reyhanlı bombings.[13]

On 29 March 2016, it was falsely reported[13] that Mihraç Ural had been killed by Ahrar al-Sham.[14][15]

In late July 2016, the Syrian Resistance sent reinforcement contingents from Hama to Aleppo in order to support the pro-government forces during the 2016 Aleppo campaign. In course of the campaign, they were deployed both in the northern city at the Castello road front, as well as in the south where rebel forces launched a counter-offensive.[8]

At some point, the "Falcons of the Jazira and Euphrates", a militia of Deir ez-Zor Governorate natives, officially joined the Syrian Resistance, though it remained operationally fully autonomous. Under the Syrian Resistance's flag, this unit took part in the central Syria campaign of mid-2017.[4] This militia was closely affiliated to major general Mohammad Khaddour.

Jamal Trabelsi, director of the Syrian Resistance's information office, was targeted by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Aleppo in July 2017, though he survived. The group accused "Turkey-backed & hired gangs" of being behind the attack.[1] A few days later, a female media officer of the Syrian Resistance, Duaa Hayel Sulaiman, was assassinated in Damascus.[16]

When the Syrian opposition started large-scale offensives in late 2024, the Syrian Resistance took part in pro-government defensive efforts. Under Ural, the militia was one of the groups which unsuccessfully attempted to hold Hama.[3] After the fall of the Assad regime, the Syrian Resistance's headquarters and weapons depots in Latakia were occupied by the forces of the Syrian caretaker government.[17] Ural managed to evade capture; he gave an interview in March 2025, accusing Russia of having engineered the collapse of the Assad regime. He called on Alawites and Kurds to fight the Syrian transitional government and expressed support for the federalization of Syria.[3][18]

See also

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References

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Syrian Resistance

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The Syrian Resistance (Arabic: المقاومة السورية, al-Muqāwama al-Sūriyya) is a small pro-government militia founded in 2011 by Mihrac Ural, a Turkish-born Alawite activist and exile, to support Bashar al-Assad's Ba'athist regime amid the Syrian Civil War. Operating primarily in the rugged terrain of northern Latakia Governorate, the group recruited local Alawite youth and conducted guerrilla operations against Syrian rebel forces, including Islamist factions, in defense of regime-held coastal areas. Ideologically aligned with Marxist-Leninist principles and secular Ba'athism, the militia also pursued irredentist objectives, advocating for the "liberation" of Turkey's Hatay Province (Sanjak of Iskenderun), which Syria claims based on pre-1939 borders, reflecting Ural's long-standing activism against Turkish sovereignty over the region. The group's limited size—estimated in the low hundreds—belied its role in bolstering regime defenses during key battles, though it drew significant controversy for alleged involvement in sectarian atrocities, notably the May 2013 Baniyas massacre, where over 200 Sunni civilians were reportedly killed in reprisal attacks, a charge the militia has denied. Following the rapid collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024, Ural publicly distanced the group from Assad, asserting that his return was impossible and blaming Russian orchestration for the regime's downfall, while affiliated units reemerged under names like the Shield of the Coast Brigade to conduct insurgent attacks against the subsequent HTS-led transitional government and, sporadically, Israeli positions in the Golan buffer zone. These post-Assad activities positioned remnants of the Syrian Resistance within a loose network of holdout factions, blending anti-Islamist operations with opportunistic alignments, including temporary pacts with Iran-linked groups, amid ongoing instability in Alawite-majority areas.

Origins and Leadership

Pre-2011 Context

Mihrac Ural, also known as Ali Kayali, was born in 1956 in Hatay Province, Turkey, to an Alawite family, a minority sect with historical ties to Syria's ruling elite. In the 1970s, Ural emerged as a leader in Turkish leftist militancy, heading the Acilciler (Urgent Ones), a Marxist splinter faction of the Turkish People's Liberation Party-Front (THKP/C) formed around 1975, which conducted armed operations against the Turkish state as part of broader revolutionary struggles. Turkish authorities have long classified Ural and Acilciler as terrorist entities due to involvement in bombings and other violent acts, including alleged links to the 1993 Çeşme Hotel attack, though Ural has denied such accusations and attributed some to state fabrication or foreign interference. Following clashes with Turkish security forces, Ural fled Turkey in the late 1970s or early 1980s, relocating to Lebanon and later Syria, where he obtained citizenship and aligned with the Ba'athist regime under Hafez al-Assad, which shared his anti-Turkish irredentism over Hatay (historically the Sanjak of Alexandretta, annexed by Turkey in 1939 amid disputed referendums). There, he established the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Sanjak of Iskandarun, a small Marxist-Leninist organization advocating the reclamation of Hatay for Syria, drawing on Syrian nationalist claims and Alawite solidarity while operating from bases in Latakia Province. The front maintained limited activities, primarily propaganda and recruitment among Alawite expatriates, without significant military engagements, reflecting Syria's long-standing but dormant territorial grievances against Turkey. This pre-war phase underscored the group's ideological fusion of class struggle, anti-imperialism, and Syrian expansionism, with Ural portraying Hatay's incorporation as a colonial imposition by France and Turkey, echoing Ba'athist rhetoric since the 1960s. Turkish sources, often aligned with state narratives, emphasize Ural's role in cross-border militancy and alleged criminal networks, including drug trafficking routes, contrasting with his self-description as a revolutionary defender of Alawite rights. By 2011, as protests erupted in Syria, the front reoriented into the Syrian Resistance, leveraging its cadre for regime defense amid escalating sectarian threats.

Formation in 2011

The Syrian Resistance was established in 2011 by Mihraç Ural, a Turkish-born Alawite militant who held Syrian citizenship and had prior experience in leftist groups advocating the reclamation of the Sanjak of Iskenderun (Hatay Province) from Turkey. Formed amid the Syrian uprising's onset, with nationwide protests beginning on March 15, 2011, the militia aimed to reinforce government control in northern Latakia province, a coastal Alawite stronghold near the Turkish border threatened by opposition incursions. Ural, operating under the nom de guerre Ali Kayali, drew on his networks from the dormant Popular Front for the Liberation of the Sanjak of Iskenderun to mobilize supporters against what the group framed as foreign-backed Islamist rebels. Recruitment targeted young Alawites from local villages such as Kasab and Jableh, emphasizing ethnic self-defense, border security, and ideological opposition to Sunni-majority insurgents. The group's initial structure was informal, with Ural as overall commander, and it maintained alignment with the Assad regime through coordination rather than direct subordination, allowing operational autonomy in early defensive roles. This pro-government orientation positioned the Syrian Resistance as part of the regime's paramilitary response to the civil war's escalation, focusing on protecting minority communities and strategic coastal assets from rebel advances originating from Idlib and Turkey. Early activities centered on local patrols, checkpoint operations, and skirmishes to deter opposition infiltration in Latakia's mountainous terrain, where the militia's knowledge of smuggling routes proved valuable for regime intelligence. By late 2011, the group had begun publicizing its role via media statements, portraying itself as a nationalist force safeguarding Syria's territorial integrity against separatism and jihadism, though its small size—estimated in the low hundreds initially—limited it to auxiliary support for Syrian Arab Army units.

Leadership Under Mihrac Ural

Mihrac Ural, also known as Ali Kayali or Mihraç Ural, a Turkish-born Alawite born in 1956, assumed leadership of the Syrian Resistance upon its formation in 2011 as a pro-government militia auxiliary to the Syrian Arab Army, primarily recruiting from Alawite communities in Latakia province. With prior involvement in leftist militant groups in Turkey, including alleged ties to the Devrimci Halk Kurtuluş Partisi-Cephesi (DHKP-C), Ural positioned the group as ideologically Marxist-Leninist and Syrian nationalist, emphasizing defense against Islamist rebels and territorial claims on Hatay province. Under his command, the militia operated semi-autonomously, coordinating with regime forces while maintaining distinct units like the Falcons of Mount Lebanon Battalion, focusing on irregular warfare in coastal areas. Ural's leadership emphasized volunteer mobilization and ideological indoctrination, with the group claiming over 100 martyrs by February 2018 and 108 by March 2021 from engagements alongside Syrian army units across multiple fronts, including Latakia and Homs. He directed operations from bases in Alawite-majority villages, prioritizing sectarian self-defense amid rebel advances, as evidenced by the militia's role in repelling incursions in Latakia starting late 2011. Turkish authorities have long designated Ural a top fugitive for alleged terrorist activities predating the Syrian conflict, including bombings in the 1980s and 1990s, which informed Ankara's portrayal of his group as an extension of PKK-linked networks despite its pro-Assad alignment. Accusations of atrocities under Ural's command surfaced prominently after the May 2013 massacres in Bayda and Baniyas, where opposition sources attributed the deaths of over 200 civilians, mostly Sunni, to Syrian Resistance fighters executing suspected rebel sympathizers in coordination with regime forces, though Ural denied direct involvement in interviews, framing actions as counterinsurgency necessities. Rebels reported killing Ural in clashes near Latakia on March 29, 2016, but he survived, later sustaining serious injuries in an assassination attempt on July 6, 2019, in Tartus province, which pro-opposition outlets linked to retribution for alleged war crimes. By September 2025, following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in late 2024, Ural publicly alleged Russian orchestration of the government's surrender, claiming it facilitated HTS control over Damascus while his militia persisted in localized resistance efforts.

Ideology and Goals

Marxist-Leninist and Nationalist Foundations

The Syrian Resistance, founded by Mihrac Ural in 2011, espouses a Marxist-Leninist ideology rooted in Ural's prior involvement with Turkish radical leftist organizations, including the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C), a designated terrorist group adhering to Marxist-Leninist principles. This foundation emphasizes class struggle, anti-imperialism, and the necessity of armed proletarian revolution against capitalist exploitation and foreign interference. Ural, also known as Ali Kayyali, adapted these tenets to support the Syrian Ba'athist state's secular framework, viewing the 2011 uprising as an imperialist-orchestrated assault on socialist governance rather than a genuine popular revolt. Central to the group's doctrine is veneration of Ernesto "Che" Guevara as an archetype of revolutionary guerrilla warfare and anti-imperialist defiance, symbolized in its propaganda and operations. This reverence underscores a commitment to foco theory—small vanguard groups igniting broader insurrection—applied to defending Alawite-majority coastal regions against Sunni Islamist insurgents. The ideology frames the Syrian conflict as a continuation of global class warfare, with the Assad regime positioned as a bulwark against neoliberal globalization and jihadism, despite Ba'athism's deviations from orthodox Leninism. Nationalist foundations complement Marxism-Leninism through socialist patriotism and left-wing Syrian nationalism, prioritizing territorial integrity and opposition to ethnic separatism or foreign-backed fragmentation. The group advocates reclaiming the Hatay Province (Iskanderun) from Turkey, portraying Ankara's support for rebels as expansionist aggression echoing historical Ottoman irredentism. This irredentism aligns with broader goals of pan-Arab unity under secular authoritarianism, rejecting Islamist caliphate aspirations and Kurdish autonomy movements as divisive. By integrating nationalism, the Resistance justifies alliance with the Syrian Arab Army, presenting itself as a defender of the multi-confessional republic against sectarianism and Wahhabi extremism.

Objectives Against Rebels and Islamists

The Syrian Resistance articulated its primary objectives against rebels and Islamists as defending the secular Ba'athist state and Alawite-majority regions from sectarian assaults and the imposition of sharia-based governance. Established in 2011 amid escalating rebel offensives in Latakia, the group targeted Sunni Islamist factions such as Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra, which launched attacks on Alawite villages, resulting in massacres that killed hundreds of civilians between 2013 and 2014. These operations sought to halt territorial gains by opposition forces backed by Turkey and Gulf states, preserving Syrian sovereignty and preventing the fragmentation of the country into Islamist enclaves. Ideologically, the militia's Marxist-Leninist framework positioned Islamists as ideological adversaries to secular nationalism, framing jihadist groups as "takfiri" elements intent on eradicating non-Sunni minorities and enforcing religious rule antithetical to progressive, unified Syrian identity. Mihrac Ural, the group's leader, publicly endorsed combat against Turkish-supported rebels in areas like Afrin in 2018, declaring readiness to fight in frontline positions to counter incursions by forces including HTS precursors, which he viewed as extensions of foreign aggression undermining local stability. This stance extended to clashes with ISIS affiliates, where the Resistance participated in joint pro-government efforts to repel caliphate expansions in coastal and Homs regions from 2014 onward. After the Assad regime's fall on December 8, 2024, the Syrian Resistance shifted to guerrilla actions against HTS-dominated authorities, aiming to dismantle the Islamist administration through targeted strikes and restore Ba'athist control or secure Alawite autonomy amid reports of sectarian reprisals. Factions claimed responsibility for coastal ambushes in March 2025, asserting over 1,000 HTS combatants killed and vowing to expel "terrorism" from Syria, with rhetoric emphasizing liberation from jihadist occupation rather than mere survival. These efforts reflected a continuity in rejecting Islamist hegemony, prioritizing empirical defense of secular institutions against groups historically linked to al-Qaeda networks.

Structure and Operations

Organizational Setup

The Syrian Resistance, also known as al-Muqāwama as-Sūrīya, functions as a decentralized paramilitary militia under the direct command of its founder and leader, Mihrac Ural (also known as Ali Kayali), a Turkish-born Alawite with Syrian citizenship. Established in 2012, the group's organizational setup emphasizes local autonomy, with Ural serving as the central authority overseeing operations from bases in northern Latakia and Tartus provinces. It lacks a formalized, hierarchical chain of command typical of state militaries, instead relying on field coordinators and ad hoc units drawn from Alawite communities in coastal areas. Recruitment occurs primarily through local networks, targeting Alawite loyalists and ideologically aligned individuals sympathetic to the group's Marxist-Leninist and secular nationalist orientation, though exact numbers remain undisclosed and estimates describe it as a small-scale force integrated loosely with Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and National Defense Forces (NDF) elements for logistics and joint operations. Fighters are organized into geographically based fighting units rather than named battalions or divisions, enabling flexible guerrilla-style tactics in defense of regime-held territories against rebel advances. This setup allows for rapid mobilization in areas like Jabal al-Akrad and Kasab but limits scalability beyond regional strongholds. The militia maintains operational independence while coordinating with SAA commands, sharing intelligence and resources without formal subordination to Damascus's central military structure, a pattern common among pro-regime auxiliaries formed during the civil war. Ural's personal oversight, informed by his background in Turkish leftist militancy, shapes decision-making, with no publicly documented deputy leadership or succession mechanisms. This informal organization has sustained the group through engagements up to 2024, despite external pressures including Turkish designations of Ural as a terrorist.

Military Capabilities and Tactics

The Syrian Resistance, under Mihrac Ural's leadership, functions as an irregular militia with capabilities geared toward asymmetric and defensive operations, particularly in Latakia province where it has sought to contain rebel incursions into Alawite areas. Fighters have employed guerrilla tactics, leveraging the mountainous terrain of northern Latakia for ambushes and to restrict opposition forces to Sunni-dominated northern pockets, while conducting limited forays into regions like Homs. In engagements against Islamist rebels, ISIS, and HTS from 2016 to 2024, the group integrated with Syrian regime forces, utilizing small-unit maneuvers suited to irregular warfare rather than large-scale conventional battles. Post-2024, following the Assad regime's collapse, surviving elements shifted to clandestine "shadow strikes," assassinations, and opportunistic uprisings, such as the March 6, 2025, assault on the 107th Brigade headquarters in Hama, where claims included over 1,000 enemy killed and capture of 500 fighters. Access to residual Assad-era weapon caches has enabled varied armaments, including small arms for infantry operations and heavier systems like Grad rockets in coordinated factional efforts, though the group's strength derives more from mobility, local intelligence, and ideological motivation than numerical superiority or advanced equipment. Unconventional methods, such as a reported botulinum toxin attack on HTS positions on March 26, 2025, highlight adaptive, low-tech tactics amid diminished resources.

Key Engagements

Initial Defense in Latakia (2011–2012)

The Syrian Resistance, established in 2011 amid the onset of armed opposition in Syria, initiated its military activities in Latakia province to bolster regime defenses against rebel incursions into Alawite-majority areas. Operating primarily in the coastal mountains and rural villages, the militia focused on securing loyalist positions and disrupting early Free Syrian Army (FSA) advances that threatened government supply routes and minority communities. Led by Mihrac Ural (alias Ali Kayali), the group coordinated with Syrian Arab Army units, employing local knowledge for ambushes and patrols to counter opposition fighters exploiting the terrain for hit-and-run tactics. Casualties among Syrian Resistance fighters were predominantly incurred during these defensive operations in Latakia, with records indicating at least two dozen martyrs by mid-2013, many from clashes in 2011 and 2012 defending Alawite heartlands such as those near Qardaha and other Jabal Alawite locales. Rebel groups, including FSA affiliates, launched sporadic attacks on these areas starting in late 2011, aiming to undermine regime control in the strategic coastal governorate, but were repelled through combined militia and regular army efforts. The Resistance's role emphasized protecting sectarian enclaves perceived as vulnerable to sectarian reprisals by opposition elements, reflecting its nationalist and anti-Islamist stance. By 2012, as rebel activity escalated with attempts to establish footholds in rural Latakia, the militia had solidified its auxiliary function, conducting reconnaissance and rapid response operations to maintain regime dominance in the province. These efforts contributed to limiting opposition gains until larger offensives in subsequent years, with the group's small size—estimated in the hundreds—relying on ideological commitment and ties to pro-Assad networks for recruitment and sustainment. No major territorial losses were recorded in core defense zones during this initial phase, underscoring the effectiveness of integrated local defenses.

Escalation Against Rebels (2013–2015)

In 2013, the Syrian Resistance expanded its combat role in Latakia province, conducting operations against rebel forces amid intensified attacks on Alawite villages in the Jabal al-Akrad mountains, where opposition groups targeted government-held outposts and civilian areas starting in August. These engagements involved guerrilla tactics to disrupt rebel supply lines and reinforce Syrian Arab Army positions, as reported by militia leader Ali Kayali in interviews detailing participation in local counteroffensives. The group's focus remained on protecting coastal enclaves, with fighters drawing from Alawite recruits to counter what they described as sectarian threats from Free Syrian Army affiliates and Islamist factions. The escalation peaked in early 2014 during the opposition's coastal offensive, launched on March 9 with the capture of the strategic border town of Kassab, which allowed rebels to advance into northern Latakia and threaten government supply routes. Syrian Resistance units assisted Syrian government forces in mounting a response, including a documented rescue operation on March 26 near Tower 45 in the Latakia countryside, where fighters extracted survivors from an explosion amid ongoing clashes. By late spring, coordinated efforts with the army and allied militias halted rebel momentum, recapturing key hills and villages in the Jabal al-Turkman area through ambushes and defensive fortifications. Into 2015, the group sustained irregular warfare in Latakia's rugged terrain, targeting rebel holdouts in Jabal al-Akrad to prevent encirclement of the provincial capital, though specific casualty figures remain unverified due to limited independent reporting. These actions aligned with broader regime strategies to secure the Alawite heartland, emphasizing hit-and-run tactics over large-scale assaults, as the militia numbered in the low hundreds and relied on integration with regular forces for heavier engagements.

Fights Against ISIS and HTS (2016–2024)

From 2016 onward, the Syrian Resistance, operating primarily in Latakia province, focused on countering Islamist insurgent threats amid stabilized frontlines following earlier rebel offensives. The militia engaged Jabhat al-Nusra forces—HTS's predecessor—during defensive operations in northern Latakia, where jihadist-led coalitions sought to breach regime defenses. In March 2016, intensified clashes erupted after rebel attacks, including those by Nusra Front and allied elements with reported ISIS involvement, targeted Alawite villages in the region, prompting Syrian Resistance counteractions alongside Syrian Arab Army units. Turkish media reported heavy fighting that resulted in unconfirmed claims of leader Mihrac Ural's death, though he survived. By October 2016, assassination attempts targeted Ural in Latakia city, attributed by the group to opposition militants, reflecting ongoing low-intensity conflict with jihadist networks. Similar attacks persisted, including a 2019 IED explosion that seriously wounded Ural, likely orchestrated by HTS-affiliated operatives amid sporadic skirmishes in coastal areas. In August 2018, the Syrian Resistance supported regime offensives against rebel holdouts in Latakia's Turkmen Mountains, where HTS maintained influence over remaining opposition pockets, contributing to the gradual erosion of jihadist capabilities in the province. Direct battles with ISIS proper were minimal, as the group's territorial focus lay eastward, though the militia's alignment with pro-Assad forces indirectly aided containment of ISIS spillover threats in western Syria. Throughout 2019–2024, activities shifted to guerrilla-style patrols and intelligence operations against latent HTS cells, with no major pitched engagements reported amid the broader Idlib stalemate.

Controversies and Criticisms

Terrorism Allegations and Turkish Pursuit

The Syrian Resistance, under the leadership of Mihrac Ural (also known as Ali Kayali), has faced terrorism allegations primarily from Turkish authorities due to Ural's historical involvement in left-wing militant activities in Turkey and the group's purported role in cross-border attacks. Ural, a Turkish Alawite from Hatay province, was associated with the Acilciler faction in the 1970s, which advocated for the return of Hatay to Syria and engaged in violent actions, leading to his flight to Syria after the 1980 military coup. Turkish intelligence links Ural to the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) and similar groups proscribed as terrorist organizations, with the United Kingdom noting Syrian Resistance as operating under the THKP-C umbrella. Turkey specifically accuses the Syrian Resistance of orchestrating the May 11, 2013, Reyhanlı car bombings in Hatay province, which killed 52 civilians and injured over 100, attributing the attack to retaliation against Turkish support for Syrian rebels. Following the bombings, Turkish authorities arrested suspects tied to the group and issued warrants for Ural, placing him on Turkey's most-wanted terrorists list for his alleged coordination of the operation from Syria. The group has been described by Turkish media as a Shabiha militia weaponized by the Assad regime for anti-Turkey operations, including attacks on Turkish border areas and villages. In pursuit of Ural and the group, Turkey has conducted intelligence operations, including the 2018 capture of a Reyhanlı plotter in Syria, and repeatedly demanded his extradition, notably from Russia after Ural attended the Sochi Congress in January 2018 using forged documents despite his terrorist designation. Turkish officials expressed outrage over his participation in peace talks, insisting that no terrorist elements should be involved, and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu publicly condemned Ural as a fugitive terrorist. Despite reports of Ural's death in clashes in 2016, subsequent Turkish pursuit efforts confirm his survival and continued activity with pro-Assad forces as late as 2025. These allegations remain contested by the group, which positions itself as defending Syrian minorities against Islamist "terrorists," though Turkish sources maintain the evidence ties Ural directly to violent acts against Turkey.

Accusations of War Crimes and Sectarian Violence

The Syrian Resistance, under Mihrac Ural's leadership, has been accused of committing war crimes through sectarian violence targeting Sunni civilians, particularly in the coastal regions of Latakia and Tartus provinces during the Syrian Civil War. Critics, including Syrian opposition activists and human rights monitors, allege that the group participated in the Bayda and Baniyas massacres on May 2–3, 2013, where pro-regime militias systematically killed between 150 and 250 Sunni civilians in Bayda alone, with total deaths exceeding 400 across both sites, including summary executions, arson, and the slaughter of families in their homes. These acts were characterized as ethnic cleansing aimed at punishing Sunni communities perceived as supportive of rebel groups, with Ural personally implicated as the "Butcher of Baniyas" for directing operations that involved armed men planning civilian killings. Further accusations arose from the group's activities in the Latakia countryside, where it allegedly conducted clearance operations against Sunni villages during offensives from 2013 to 2015, involving indiscriminate killings, torture, and displacement to consolidate Alawite-majority control. Reports from opposition sources and defectors describe instances of beheadings, mutilations, and the use of violence to instill fear among Sunni populations, framing such actions as retaliatory against Islamist insurgents but amounting to collective punishment under international law. The group's Alawite composition and integration with regime shabiha networks fueled claims of inherent sectarian bias, with violence often escalating in response to rebel advances but extending to non-combatants. Ural and Syrian Resistance spokesmen, such as Ali Kayali, have rejected these allegations, asserting that operations targeted only armed rebels and foreign jihadists, not civilians, and attributing massacre narratives to rebel propaganda designed to incite Sunni mobilization. Independent verification remains challenging due to restricted access in regime-held areas, though patterns of sectarian reprisals documented in broader UN inquiries into coastal violence during the war lend circumstantial weight to claims of militia involvement in atrocities. No formal prosecutions have occurred, as the group operated with regime impunity, but Turkish authorities have designated Ural a terrorist for related cross-border attacks, amplifying international scrutiny.

Debates on Secular vs. Regime Loyalty

The Syrian Resistance, under Mihrac Ural's leadership, publicly advocates a platform of secular leftism intertwined with Syrian nationalism, framing its armed struggle as a defense against Islamist extremism and foreign intervention rather than mere allegiance to the Assad family. Ural, a Turkish-born Alawite exile with a history of leftist activism in Turkey during the 1970s, has emphasized anti-sectarian rhetoric, portraying the group as inclusive and committed to a unified, secular state modeled on Ba'athist ideals of Arab socialism. This ideological stance aligns with the Assad regime's official promotion of secular governance, which positions the state as a bulwark against Sunni-majority political Islam, as evidenced by the group's propaganda materials and interviews where Ural critiques jihadist groups like al-Nusra Front for threatening Syria's pluralistic fabric. Critics, however, contend that this secular framing masks a deeper sectarian loyalty to the Alawite-dominated regime, arguing that the group's near-exclusive Alawite composition—drawn primarily from Latakia's coastal communities—reflects self-preservation motives amid the civil war's sectarian dynamics rather than genuine ideological secularism. Reports highlight the militia's involvement in events like the 2013 Bayda and Baniyas massacres, where pro-regime forces targeted Sunni civilians, fueling accusations that the Resistance prioritizes regime survival and Alawite communal defense over broader secular principles. Analysts note that while Ural's leftist credentials lend credibility to secular claims, the group's operational dependence on Assad's military support and its failure to criticize regime policies—such as alliances with Iran-backed Shia militias—suggests pragmatic loyalty trumps independent ideological purity. These debates intensified post-2011, as the regime instrumentalized secularism to consolidate minority support, including Alawites, against predominantly Sunni opposition forces; proponents of the secular view counter that Islamist atrocities in Alawite areas, such as rebel offensives in Latakia in 2013–2015, validate the Resistance's stance as a causal response to existential threats rather than blind regime fealty. Skeptics, including some Syrian opposition analysts, point to the broader pattern of pro-Assad militias blending nationalist rhetoric with sectarian mobilization, where loyalty to Assad ensures resource access and impunity, as seen in the Resistance's integration into regime command structures without evident pushback on authoritarian practices. Empirical data on the group's size—estimated at under 2,000 fighters, mostly local Alawites—further underscores questions of inclusivity, with no verified recruitment from non-Alawite secularists despite rhetorical appeals. In the post-Assad context of 2025, following the regime's collapse in December 2024, Ural's public assertions of continued resistance against the new HTS-led government have reignited scrutiny, with some observers interpreting the group's persistence as evidence of enduring regime nostalgia tied to Alawite identity, while supporters maintain it embodies resilient secular nationalism against Islamist dominance. This tension highlights causal realism in militia motivations: ideological secularism may rationalize actions, but regime loyalty provided the material and protective framework enabling operations, a dynamic observable in similar pro-Assad formations like the National Defense Forces.

Relations with External Actors

Alliance with Assad Regime and Iran

The Syrian Resistance, a pro-government militia primarily active in northern Latakia province, maintained operational alignment with the Assad regime throughout the Syrian civil war. Led by Mihrac Ural (also known as Ali Kayali), the group emerged around 2012 as an offshoot of the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Sanjak of Iskandarun, focusing on defending Alawite areas against rebel incursions. It coordinated directly with Syrian army units and intelligence services, participating in key regime offensives such as those in Latakia during 2013 and 2014, where its fighters supplemented regular forces in securing coastal strongholds. This alliance provided the Syrian Resistance with logistical support, including arms and integration into the regime's irregular militia network, often referred to as shabiha or local defense forces. Ural, a Turkish Alawite exile, positioned the group as a nationalist bulwark against opposition forces, emphasizing loyalty to Bashar al-Assad's Ba'athist government despite its Marxist-Leninist ideological roots, which occasionally diverged from the regime's secular authoritarianism. The militia's small size—estimated at a few hundred fighters—limited its independent capabilities, making regime patronage essential for sustained operations against groups like the Free Syrian Army and later Islamist factions. Relations with Iran were indirect, channeled through the Assad regime's strategic partnership with Tehran, which supplied funding, training, and Shia militias to bolster government defenses across Syria. While no evidence indicates direct operational ties or Iranian funding specific to the Syrian Resistance, the group's role in the broader pro-Assad coalition placed it within Iran's "Axis of Resistance" framework, which prioritized regime survival against Sunni rebels and ISIS. Iranian commitments to Assad, including deploying IRGC advisors and proxy forces in Latakia, indirectly enhanced the militia's effectiveness by stabilizing regime-held territories where it operated. Post-2015, as Iranian influence grew in militia coordination, the Syrian Resistance continued regime-aligned activities without reported friction.

Interactions with Russia and Turkey

The Syrian Resistance, operating primarily in Latakia province, aligned operationally with Russian forces following Moscow's military intervention in September 2015, which provided airstrikes and logistical support to pro-Assad militias combating rebels in the region. As a pro-regime group defending Alawite coastal areas near Russia's Khmeimim airbase and Tartus naval facility, it benefited indirectly from Russian operations that weakened opposition advances, such as those by Jabhat al-Nusra and Free Syrian Army factions in 2015–2016. Mihrac Ural, the group's leader, expressed support for Russia's role in stabilizing the Assad government during interviews, viewing it as a counterweight to Western and Turkish influence. This alignment extended to diplomatic engagements, exemplified by Ural's invitation to the Russian-hosted Sochi Congress on Syrian National Dialogue in January 2018, where he represented pro-Assad elements despite lacking official Syrian regime credentials. Russia's facilitation of Ural's attendance underscored a pragmatic tolerance of the group, prioritizing anti-rebel coordination over Turkish objections labeling him a terrorist. However, tensions emerged post-2024 regime collapse, with Ural accusing Russia of orchestrating Assad's ouster by directing the Syrian army's 5th Corps to surrender Damascus to Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham on December 8, 2024, and abandoning Latakia without resistance. Relations with Turkey have been overtly hostile, rooted in Ural's longstanding opposition to Ankara's support for Syrian rebels and his group's territorial claims on Hatay province, which it seeks to reintegrate into Syria. Turkey has designated Ural a top terrorist fugitive since the 1980s for ties to leftist groups like the DHKP/C and accused him of masterminding the May 11, 2013, Reyhanlı car bombings that killed 52 civilians and wounded over 100, allegedly in coordination with Syrian intelligence to provoke border tensions. Ural has denied involvement, framing such claims as Turkish propaganda to justify intervention. The Syrian Resistance has clashed indirectly with Turkish-backed forces, recruiting up to 2,000 Turkish Alawites for combat in areas like Idlib and Kassab against Free Syrian Army units supported by Ankara. Turkey responded by demanding Ural's extradition from Russia after his 2018 Sochi appearance and conducting artillery strikes on positions held by pro-Assad militias, including Syrian Resistance elements, during the 2014 offensive on Kassab. Ural has accused Turkey of exacerbating Syria's crises through rebel patronage and incursions, while organizing anti-Turkish rallies among Hatay's Alawite community to stoke sectarian divisions. These dynamics reflect Turkey's broader pursuit of Syrian Resistance members as threats to its security, viewing the group as an extension of Assad's irregular forces hostile to Ankara's anti-regime stance.

Post-Assad Era

Immediate Response to Regime Collapse (December 2024)

Following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime on December 8, 2024, when opposition forces led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) entered Damascus and Assad fled to Russia, the Syrian Resistance militia, headed by Mihrac Ural, refused to acknowledge the new HTS-dominated interim government. The group, a small Alawite-aligned pro-Assad force primarily active in the Latakia region, shifted focus to low-level insurgent actions aimed at disrupting HTS consolidation, particularly in coastal areas with significant Alawite populations. In the initial weeks post-collapse, pro-Assad resistance networks, including elements linked to Ural's faction, emerged to conduct targeted operations against HTS and allied militias seeking to extend control beyond major cities. These efforts emphasized guerrilla tactics over conventional defense, given the rapid rebel advances that had overwhelmed regime forces in cities like Hama and Homs earlier in December. The militia's activities remained limited in scale, reflecting its pre-collapse strength of fewer than 1,000 fighters, but served to signal ongoing loyalty to the deposed regime among Alawite communities. By December 31, 2024, Syrian Resistance-affiliated factions issued public ultimatums demanding the withdrawal of HTS forces and foreign-backed groups from the Syrian coast, warning of retaliatory vengeance if demands were ignored. Ural's group positioned itself within this broader pro-Assad opposition umbrella, prioritizing the protection of minority interests in the northwest against perceived jihadi dominance, though without launching major offensives in the immediate term. This stance underscored the militia's commitment to regime restoration or federal arrangements safeguarding Alawite areas, amid fears of sectarian reprisals under HTS rule.

Ural's Claims and Group Adaptation (2025)

In early 2025, Mihrac Ural, the Turkish-born Alawite leader of the Syrian Resistance militia, publicly claimed that Russia's intervention orchestrated the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024, alleging that Moscow forced Syrian army units to surrender without resistance and facilitated the transfer of power to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led forces in Damascus. Ural, who had commanded the group as a pro-Assad paramilitary force since 2011 with a focus on coastal operations and irredentist goals regarding Turkey's Hatay province, portrayed this as a deliberate betrayal by Russia, which had previously supported the regime militarily. These assertions aligned with Ural's longstanding leftist and Ba'athist ideology but drew skepticism from analysts, given the militia's marginal role and Ural's history of unsubstantiated sectarian rhetoric. Amid heightened sectarian tensions following Alawite-targeted violence in Syria's coastal regions in March 2025, the Syrian Resistance adapted by aligning with Iran-backed networks to sustain operations against the HTS-dominated transitional government. On August 4, 2025, Ural's faction, operating under the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Sanjak of İskenderun banner, formally joined the "Islamic Resistance Front in Syria – Formidable in Might," a coalition emphasizing opposition to Israeli presence and the new Syrian authorities while pledging loyalty to Iran's Axis of Resistance. This integration marked a tactical shift from regime-aligned irregular warfare to broader proxy resistance, leveraging Alawite grievances over post-Assad reprisals, though the group reported no major claimed attacks by late 2025. The adaptation faced immediate challenges, including the June 2025 arrest in Damascus of a senior figure linked to Ural, identified as the former director of the militia's Hama office and accused of involvement in prior sectarian killings. Turkish authorities, who have long designated Ural a terrorist for past bombings and maintain an international warrant, viewed the group's persistence as a continued threat, while the new Syrian government's pursuit underscored its designation as a destabilizing holdout. Despite these pressures, Ural's claims and the alliance signaled an intent to reframe the militia as a defender of Alawite interests within Iran's regional framework, amid ongoing low-level insurgent activity in Alawite-majority areas.

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