Rebuilding Security in New Syria: Year 2, Week 5

Tracking the spread of new security forces and security incidents in post-Assad Syria from January 5 to January 11

Announcements of security deployments mostly in western Syria, with an emphasis on the minority regions. This weekly update is intended to provide base level data for more holistic research into the rebuilding of the security and governance structures of post-Assad Syria. Direct links to primary sources are provided throughout.

• Aleppo and Idlib

• Damascus

• Coast

• Homs

• Hama

This week’s security events were dominated by the five-day battle in Aleppo city between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for control of three neighborhoods in the northern part of the city. This weekly update includes a detailed day-by-day look at how the battle unfolded.

However, security events continued elsewhere in the country as well. General Security units conducted several arrest operations across the coast and Hama targeted regime insurgents with insurgents and/or criminals conducting several low-level attacks of their own.

While targeted and sectarian killings reduced compared to last week, Homs city was rocked this week by a drive-by shooting at the al-Kindi Hospital which left four doctors and nurses dead and multiple Alawi men were killed in rural eastern Homs by unknown gunmen.