Fifth Assault Corps

In addition to the elite division (which, in essence, is a battalion tactical group) of the Tiger Forces, about which told “PolitNavigator”, from other formations of the Syrian Arab Army, the most popular one is the Fifth Assault Corps, which was talked about a lot after its rapid breakthrough and crossing of the Euphrates River.

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The course and logic of military operations in the Syrian war have revealed the urgent need to create new infantry formations in the Syrian army, capable of operating in emergency mode in order to promptly extinguish emerging crisis situations at the front.

In November 2016, such a formation was created in the Syrian army - it became the Fifth Assault Corps. The corps is fought entirely by volunteers, and is assisted by advisers and weapons from Russia and Iran. The first set of volunteers for the corps were residents of the cities of Palmyra and Homs.

As with the Tiger Force, the Fifth Assault is not corps-sized, but rather an understrength division of 10 men. The corps headquarters is located in Latakia, and its military bases are scattered between Hama and Palmyra. Nothing is known about the corps' senior command, but it is reasonable to assume that its commanders are a carefully selected group of Syrian officers assisted by Russian military advisers.

The corps includes volunteer detachments “Assad Shield”, “Maarde Forces”, “Victory or Death”. But the most significant is the ISIS Hunters special forces unit, a well-trained and highly motivated squad of vigilantes whose loved ones have died at the hands of terrorists. The detachment of “hunters” was formed mainly from residents of Palmyra and Homs.

It is known that the ISIS Hunters squad receives modern Russian weapons and equipment, and its fighters are trained by instructors from the Russian Special Operations Forces.

Another group that is part of the Fifth Assault is called the “Strength of the Tribes,” consisting of groups of volunteers living in Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor and Hasakah. "The Power of the Tribes" took part in the final phase of the assault on Palmyra.

To increase the authority of the authorities, the “Baath Brigade” was formed from members of the pro-government Syrian party, in which about 2000 fighters are fighting. The brigade took part in offensive battles in the vicinity of Palmyra, acting as a guarantor that the city would not be lost again.

The Fifth Corps is armed with modified Soviet T-72B3 tanks, equipped with the Kontakt-5 active protection complex and thermal imaging sights, as well as the old T-62M tanks, which performed well during the war, with improved armor protection. Just because in the battles for Palmyra and on the northern outskirts of Hama, the T-62M withstood hits from five (!) ATGMs, including Tou, and did not lose a single crew member, I want to take off my earflaps in front of the old Soviet tanks.

The light armored vehicles of the corps are represented by BMP-1 and BMP-2. But there are also something newer - for example, the wheeled Vodnik armored fighting vehicles, armed with 7.62 mm machine guns and used as fire support vehicles and evacuation of the wounded.

The experience of using modern “carts” – armed pickup trucks – was also taken into account. In the Fifth Assault, their role is played by Russian UAZ “Patriot” pickup trucks with large-caliber 12.7 mm machine guns and 30 mm automatic grenade launchers installed on them.

Already in January 2017, the Fifth Assault justified its purpose during the crisis situation that arose with the capture of Palmyra by ISIS gangs. Units of the Fifth Corps successfully repulsed ISIS attacks on the key Tiyas airbase for several weeks, despite the fact that its troops did not have sufficient combat experience.

Having protected the air base, parts of the corps developed an offensive in the direction of the Al-Mar oil fields and the settlement of Jihar, located at the intersection of roads leading to Palmyra. On March 4, the Fifth Corps, together with other units of the Syrian army, recaptured the ancient city from the Basmachi with minimal losses, while the jihadist losses amounted to more than 300 killed militants.

It is believed that the “ISIS Hunters” detachment played an important role in the liberation of Palmyra, which planned and carried out dozens of successful special operations in the vicinity of the city.

Having returned Palmyra to their control, units of the Fifth Corps expanded the security zone around the city, while recapturing several important heights, an airport, an elevator and several oil fields.

On March 21, soldiers of the Fifth Corps, together with army units and the Tiger Forces division, repelled the jihadist attack on Hama and carried out a successful counter-offensive, liberating a large area of ​​the country. The operation lasted about a month and ended on April 16 with Syrian troops taking control of the key settlement of Tayabat al-Imam.

Before the attack on one of the last terrorist strongholds - the city of Deir ez-Zor, the Fifth Assault Corps received reinforcements from volunteers, most of whom were residents of the province and its administrative center. Russian military advisers and instructors took part in training the recruits. During the attack on Deir ez-Zor, fighters from among the residents of the city and its environs were in the vanguard of the corps.

The battles for the liberation of Deir ez-Zor were preceded by the offensive of corps units along the 150-kilometer Palmyra-Deir ez-Zor highway with the concomitant capture of key settlements. The offensive was the largest military operation of the Syrian war.

The Fifth Assault Corps is a large unit of the Syrian army and its experience deserves careful study. In addition to the fact that the corps successfully carried out offensive operations, fulfilling all assigned tasks, it essentially became the core of the future Syrian army, uniting representatives of different tribes and religions on a voluntary basis.

Some military experts believe that the creation of the Fifth Corps is Russia's first step to improve the Syrian army and create a unified command structure. The corps has a further goal - to include, train, control and unite disparate religious and ethnic groups loyal to the government. This, in turn, should help bring closer relations between the government and the factions with a view to their integration into the Syrian army and state security service.

This means that the Fifth Corps will help post-war Syria overcome centuries-old strife and, instead of tribes connected by tribal relations, form a single Syrian people.