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Assad's Palestinian Mercenaries


(Israel Hayom) Dr. Edy Cohen - Tens of thousands of Palestinians are apparently fighting on behalf of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. The most fervent Assad supporters belong to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine's General Command, led by Ahmed Jibril, headquartered in Damascus with thousands of fighters. The Jerusalem Brigade (Liwa al-Quds), numbering several thousand, was formed in 2013 by Palestinian engineer Muhammad al-Sa'eed. It has taken part in every campaign in Aleppo, mostly with Russian coordination and support. Some of its fighters have even been awarded citations by the Russian army. Since 2013, some 300 of its fighters have been killed and 600 have been wounded. Another Palestinian faction fighting for Assad, numbering hundreds of fighters, is the Galilee Brigade - the military wing of the Palestinian Youth Return Movement led by Fadi al-Mallah. The writer is a research fellow at Bar-Ilan University.
2017-01-03 00:00:00
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