Readers of this blog will be familiar with Katibat Dir' al-Watan (Homeland Shield Battalion), which is an affiliate of the Russian-backed V Corps (aka 5th Legion) and is led by al-Hajj Muhammad Ja'afar (originally from the north Lebanese border locality of al-Qasr, also known as Qasr). The group has both Syrian and Lebanese fighters in its ranks, with many originating from localities spanning the porous borders between Homs countryside and north Lebanon, as many Lebanese citizens have long lived in villages on the Syrian side of the border. Katibat Dir' al-Watan's most notable engagement so far has been the broader eastern campaign against the Islamic State.
Though the Islamic State's territorial reach has been greatly diminished, it still clings to some land on the borders between Syria and Iraq and is capable of launching deadly strikes, exploiting a lack of attention devoted to the area in comparison with previous efforts on the part of both the Syrian government and its allies as well as the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. On 25 January, the Islamic State attacked Katibat Dir' al-Watan positions in the Deir az-Zor countryside near the borders with Iraq, killing approximately 30 fighters, according to a statement from Katibat Dir' al-Watan circles:
"The armed terrorist groups launched a wide attack since the middle of the night and fierce battles occurred on the positions belonging to Katibat Dir' al-Watan of al-Hajj Muhammad Ja'afar in the al-Kashma area and the al-Ghariba area in Deir az-Zor countryside, but the terrorist groups were entirely destroyed on the battlefield and all the neighbouring hills were seized. As a result of these confrontations that were decisively resolved since 3 p.m., with all pride and honour we present around 30 martyrs. And the burial will be set at a subsequent time."
As is often the case with reported and self-reported death tolls for groups in particular battles, not all the names of the 'martyrs' will be disclosed for various reasons. However, as regards the 'martyrs' that have been publicised, I have been able to obtain additional information on them via contact with the group. I will present this information below as I believe it can offer some more insight into the composition of the group.
Name: Bilal Fahad Hamoud
Origin: al-Faruqiya (border village in Homs countryside)
Year of birth: 1991
Number of children: N/A
Name: Khalid Shahada al-Daho
Origin: al-Bajajiya (border village in Homs countryside)
Year of birth: 1990
Number of children: Two daughters
Name: Mohsen Salim al-Salim
Origin: al-Ghasaniya (border village in Homs countryside)
Year of birth: 1983
Number of children: One son, one daughter
Name: Waseem Mahmoud al-Ali
Origin: al-Faruqiya
Year of birth: 2000
Number of children: None (unmarried)
Name: Muhammad Hussein al-Salim
Origin: Akum (border village in Homs countryside)
Year of birth: 1988
Number of children: Two sons, one daughter
Name: Ala' Hussein al-Muhammad
Origin: al-Bajajiya
Year of birth: 1985
Number of children: Three daughters
Name: Yusuf Tarad al-Dankawi
Origin: al-Ghasaniya
Year of birth: 1992
Number of children: None (unmarried)
Name: Bassam Ibrahim al-Ali
Origin: al-Salmiya (Hama)
Year of birth: 1990
Number of children: One son, one daughter
Name: Salim Mustafa Kanyar
Origin: al-Wa'er (Homs city)
Year of birth: 1989
Number of children: One son, one daughter
Name: Abd al-Rahman Khidr al-Hada
Origin: al-Bajajiya (but had lived in al-Qasr)
Year of birth: 1998
Number of children: None (unmarried)
Name: Hassan Saleh al-Muhammad
Origin: al-Aqarabiya (border village in Homs countryside)
Year of birth: 1991
Number of children: None (unmarried)
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(28 January 2018): The names of most of these fighters have also appeared on pro-government social media pages for the Homs countryside border areas, such as the screenshot below.
Absent from this list are Bassam Ibrahim al-Ali and Salim Mustafa Kanyar, corroborating that they are not from these Homs countryside borderlands. It needs to be affirmed here that claims that these fighters were killed in U.S. airstrikes, as appears in the screenshot above, are false. For most of the fighters who were named in Dir' al-Watan circles and also appear in this list, the origins given slightly differ from my list, but still reflect the same broader point of origins in the Homs border areas. The discrepancies may be due to differing definitions of 'origin' (e.g. place of residence as per my list vs. place of birth according to ID card as per this list). According to this latter list:
Bilal Fahad Hamoud: al-Masaytiba
Khalid Shahada al-Daho: Akum
Mohsen Salim al-Salim: al-Masaytiba
Waseem Mahmoud al-Ali: al-Faruqiya
Muhammad Hussein al-Salim: al-Faruqiya
Ala' Hussein al-Muhammad: al-Aqarabiya
Yusuf Tarad al-Dankawi: al-Aqarabiya
Abd al-Rahman Khidr al-Hada: al-Masaytiba
Hassan Saleh al-Muhammad: al-Aqarabiya
The post also names three fighters as being from al-Ghasaniya. They were not included in Dir' al-Watan's media postings:
Nazih Maysar Jaber
Mustafa Muhammad al-Ali
Yusuf Ahmad al-Ahmad
Funeral photos however confirm that both Nazih Maysar Jaber and a Yusuf Ahmad Khaznah (Yusuf Ahmad al-Ahmad) were in Dir' al-Watan.
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(29 January 2018): A banner has been put up in al-Qasr in memory of Abd al-Rahman Khidr al-Hada, who worked at an electricity business (Ishtirak al-Malak) in the locality. The banner features sayings of Hafez al-Assad. It would appear based on the banner that he also went by the first name of Abdullah. See the exclusive photos below.
"The honour of the Ba'athist is that he should bear responsibility, be entrusted with it and exchange with the people affection, trust and giving."
"We excel at the game on the edge of the precipice, and even if we fall, we will not fall except over the corpses of our enemies"