Originated as Chargers Brigade | ||
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Leaders Muhammad Haj AliCapt. Basil Zamo † Area of operations Idlib GovernorateLatakia Governorate Allies Ahrar ash-ShamTurkistan Islamic Party Al-Nusra Front Opponents Syrian Armed ForcesNational Defense Force | ||
The 1st Coastal Division (formerly known as the Brigade of the Chargers) is a Syrian rebel group that is affiliated with the Free Syrian Army and has been vetted by the Friends of Syria Group. It received TOW missiles and operates in the Idlib and northern Latakia governorates. The group received training and funding from Qatar. It is a former member of the Ahfad al-Rasul Brigade.
History
The group participated in the Al-Anfal Offensive and the 2015 Jisr al-Shughur offensive with a wide array of Syrian opposition forces.
1st Coastal Division is famous for including Free Syrian Army war hero Abo Hamza who became notable on social media for his many skillful BGM-71 TOW missile shots.
In October 2015 the 1st Coastal Division's chief of staff, Captain Basil Zamo, was killed in a Russian airstrike on Jabal al-Akrad, Latakia.
In April 2016, the group together with Ahrar al-Sham, Al-Nusra Front, and the Turkistan Islamic Party attacked Syrian government positions in northeastern Latakia Governorate, capturing the villages of Nakshaba, Al-Bayyada and 50% of Jabal Qamou'.