Active 2013 – present Leaders Col. Mohammad Jaber Part of Syrian Army | Ideology Syrian nationalism Headquarters Aleppo | |
Area of operations Homs Governorate, Latakia Governorate, Daraa Governorate | ||
Liwa Suqur al-Sahara (Arabic: لواء صقور الصحراء liwāʾ suqūr aṣ-ṣaḥrāʾ, translated as Desert Hawks Brigade and Desert Falcons) is an armed private militia branch affiliated with the Syrian Arab Army and fighting on the side of the Syrian government in the Syrian Civil War. It is primarily composed of former military officers and veterans as well as volunteers from other pro-government groups, with an age range of 25 to 40 years. Suqur al-Sahra has been described as an "elite" group trained in ambush tactics, and has been employed in special assignments on several fronts. The group is equipped with light and medium arms, and is given artillery support from the regular Syrian Arab Army when needed.
The group was formed in Homs Governorate and operated in the desert regions bordering Iraq and Jordan to cut routes used by anti-government rebel groups to smuggle fighters and supplies in and out of Syria. It participated in the June 2013 capture of the town of al-Qaryatayn, where it lost one of its commanders in the fighting. After rebels launched an offensive in northern Latakia Governorate and seized control of the majority-Armenian town of Kessab, Suqur al-Sahra was transferred to that front, where its members helped lead the capture of the strategic height of Tower 45, losing at least three members in combat. In course of the 2015–16 Latakia offensive, the brigade developed a close connection to the Shia militant group LAAG, which began to provide advisors to Suqur al-Sahara.