Syriac Military Council | |
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ܡܘܬܒܐ ܦܘܠܚܝܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ Mawtbo Fulhoyo Suryoyo | |
Leaders | |
Dates of operation | 8 January 2013–Present |
Allegiance | Syriac Union Party |
Group(s) | Bethnahrain Women's Protection Forces Special Forces unit[6] |
Active regions | Al-Hasakah Governorate Raqqa Governorate Nineveh Governorate, Iraq Gozarto Region |
Ideology | Dawronoye |
Size | 2,000+ (2015)[7] c. 3,000+ (2017 estimate)[8] |
Part of | Syrian Democratic Forces |
Allies | Khabour Guards Nattoreh Sutoro People's Protection Units |
Opponents | Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant al-Nusra Front |
Battles and wars | Syrian Civil War
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Flag | |
Website | https://twitter.com/SyriacMFS |
The Syriac Military Council (Syriac: ܡܘܬܒܐ ܦܘܠܚܝܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ, romanized: Mawtbo Fulḥoyo Suryoyo, MFS; Arabic: المجلس العسكري السرياني السوري) is an Assyrian/Syriac military organisation in Syria, part of the Syrian Democratic Forces. The establishment of the organisation was announced on 8 January 2013. According to the Syriac Military Council, the goal of the organisation is to stand up for the national rights of and to protect Assyrians in Syria.[12] It operates mostly in the densely populated Assyrian areas of Al-Hasakah Governorate,[13] and is affiliated to the Syriac Union Party.
On 16 December 2013, the Syriac Military Council announced the foundation of a new Military Academy named "Martyr Abgar".[14][15] On December 24, the MFS released photographs showing its members in control of the Assyrian village of Ghardukah, located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of Qahtaniyah (Tirbespiyê/Qabre Hewore).[16] The village church had been completely destroyed by Jabhat al-Nusra, which occupied the hamlet before being expelled in mid-October during an operation launched by the People's Protection Units (YPG),[17] in which MFS members may have participated. The Syriac Military Council established an all-female military and police unit called the Bethnahrain Women's Protection Forces in September 2015.[18][19][20]