(Zaman Al Wasl)- As the Syrian regime forces press new gains and getting close to announce end of the war in central and southern Syria, the Russian ally is pushing for more coherent military body, urging the regime to do mergers for the decayed army.
Well-informed military source told Zaman al-Wasl that Russia has turned the 'de-facto commander' of the ‘Syrian Arab Army’.
Weeks ago, a footage circulated online showed regime army personnel humiliated by the Russian Military Police where they showed lying on the ground over looting acts in the capital’s southern suburbs.
The footage sends a signal that not only the structure of Bashar's army must be changed but the mentality also which has been built on nepotism, bribes and favoritism, especially mind the ranks of Assad’s fellow Alawite sect.
The Russian air force backed by Shiite militias and paramilitary forces have revived the regime of Bashar al-Assad since 2015 due to the heavy defats that inflicted on the regime forces since the start of Syrian revolution in march 2011, have weakened the army.
More than 125,000 pro-regime forces have been killed in seven years, according to local monitoring groups.
The first merger was between the Management and Administration Directorate with the Officers Affairs Directorate. The new body has been called the Human Resources Department led by M. Genral Bassam Wardeh.
M. General Adnan Mehrez Abdo, former head of Management and Administration Directorate, was appointed as the commander of southern region.
The second move took place last June in the First Armored Division to be named the First Mechanical Division led by Assad's cousin M. General Zuhair Tawfiq al-Assad.
The division contains:
- Brigade 57th Tanks.
- Brigade 76th Tanks.
- Brigade 91th Tanks.
- Brigade 58 Mechanical.
- Regiment 141 Artillery.
Brigades (57,76,91) contains:
- Three Tank Battalions, each battalion (33 tanks).
- Mechanical Infantry Battalion (31 BMB
Vehicles).
- Portable Artillery Battalion 18 portable cannon
- Shilka Air Defense Battalion.
The source revealed that the proportion of losses of brigades of armored equipment ranges from (40% to 65%) after eight years of battles against the armed opposition.
Each mechanical brigade contains:
- Tank Battalion (41 Tanks)
- Three Mechanical Infantry Battalions, each battalion (31 bmb vehicles)
- Portable Artillery Battalion 18 portable cannon.
- Air Defense Battalion Shilka.
According to the source, another restructuring is underway in the Third Division that led by Russians in the eastern Qalamoun region near Damascus.
Zaman Al Wasl
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