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24-556: The Military Security Shield Forces were formed in January 2016 as a distinct paramilitary unit for the Military Intelligence Directorate's branch 223 of Latakia Governorate , probably in an attempt to further the latter's influence and to compensate for the widespread manpower shortages from which the government suffers since the civil war's beginning. The new unit's first major engagement occurred during

48-642: A luxury development called Marota City in the Basateen al-Razi area in the Mezzeh district of Damascus . In November 2017, Damascus Cham Holding granted Aman Group the right to develop real estate projects worth $ 312m as part of the project. His business interests significantly expanded during the Syrian civil war into aviation, the cable industry, steel, sugar, car assembly and distribution, hotel management, real estate development, pharmaceuticals and banking. He

72-617: A population of 1,008,000 (2011 estimate). The governorate was historically part of the Alawite State , which existed from 1920 to 1936. Tartus governorate was formerly included as part of Latakia, before being split off circa 1972. The region has been relatively peaceful during the Syrian civil war , being a generally pro- Assad region that had largely remained under government control. The Free Syrian Army attacked Al-Haffah in 2012, and unsuccessfully attempted to wrest control of

96-465: A smaller theater off al-Moutanabbi Street. As per the 2004 Syrian census the population was 879,550. A 2011 UNOCHA estimate put the population at 1,008,000, though this has likely changed since the start of the war. The majority at 63% are Alawites , followed by 26% Sunni Muslim , 6% Christian , 5% Shi'ite Muslim and 0.2% Ismaili . The primary languages of the province are Arabic , Armenian and Turkish ( Syrian Turkmen dialects ). Arabic

120-556: Is 1,562 meters (5,125 ft) tall with the average elevation only about 1,200 meters. The western areas of the governorate catch moisture-laden winds from the Mediterranean Sea and are thus more fertile and more heavily populated than the eastern slopes. The Orontes River flows north alongside the range on its eastern verge in the Al-Ghab Plain , a 64 kilometres (40 mi) longitudinal trench , and then around

144-475: Is located on the Mediterranean Sea , which gave it great economic importance, with the capital of the governorate, Latakia serving as Syria's main port. Its port was established on 12 February 1950. Its imported cargo includes clothing, construction materials, vehicles, furniture, minerals, tobacco, cotton, and food supplies such as lintels, onions, wheat, barley, dates, grains and figs; in 2008,

168-400: Is one of the 14 governorates of Syria . It is situated in western Syria, bordering Turkey 's Hatay Province to the north, Idlib and Hama Governorates to the east, Tartus Governorate to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Its reported area varies in different sources from 2,297 km (887 sq mi) to 2,437 km (941 sq mi). The governorate has

192-647: Is sanctioned by the European Union and US Treasury for having "leveraged the atrocities of the Syrian conflict into a profit-generating enterprise [and being] directly supporting the murderous Assad regime and building luxury developments on land stolen from those fleeing his brutality." Samer Foz reportedly transported grain from Syrian government-controlled areas to territory controlled by ISIS . According to other reports, he also moved wheat from ISIS-controlled areas through Turkey into Syrian regime-controlled territory. This Syria biography article

216-564: Is spoken in all district centres of the governorate and most, if not all towns and villages surrounding them, with the North Levantine dialect mostly used. An exception is Kessab , a historically Armenian-populated town where Armenian is the primary language in it and the surrounding villages such as Sev Aghpyur, Esguran and Duzaghaj, and the Turkmen Mountain where Turcoman is spoken primarily, though many Turkmen have fled

240-510: Is the regional capital; other major settlements include Al-Haffah , Ibn Hani, Jableh , Kessab , Manjila, Qaranjah, Qardaha and Salma . The following cities are the administrative centres of the districts in Latakia Governorate (Population based on 2004 official census): The governorate is divided into four districts ( manatiq ). The districts are further divided into 22 sub-districts ( nawahi ): The governorate

264-503: The 2015–16 Latakia offensive aiming at driving rebel forces completely from the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range . In March 2016, the militia deployed its forces to eastern Homs Governorate to participate in the government offensive to recapture Palmyra from ISIL . After the city's reconquest, some Military Shield fighters went on to post images of them posing with the severed head of an ISIL fighter. Most of

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288-719: The Aman Group, which owns the Four Seasons Hotel Damascus . The company acquired the stake of Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in the hotel during his detention at the Ritz Carlton amid the Saudi purge . The Syrian government holds the second largest stakeholder in the hotel. In August 2017, Aman Group announced a partnership with Damascus governorate , under its company Damascus Cham Holding, in building

312-642: The Military Security Shield Forces also joined a major government campaign to encircle the rebel-held parts of Aleppo . In course of the fighting at Aleppo, the local Military Shield fighters under Mudar Makhlouf began to coordinate their operations with the Syrian Resistance and the Republican Guard -affiliated Popular Security and Support Forces. Soon after, one Military Shield contingent under Hassan Mahfoudh

336-690: The Syrian government, the latter began to gradually demobilize various loyalist militias. The Military Security Shield Forces were among those units that were scheduled in June 2018 to be eventually disbanded. Military Security Shield Forces have been accused of being financed by Syrian Sunni businessman Samer Foz , and of acting as the latter's private army . The Military Security Shield Forces have several commanders, two of whom are particularly notable: Latakia Governorate Latakia Governorate , also transliterated as Ladhakia Governorate , ( Arabic : مُحافظة اللاذقية / ALA-LC : Muḥāfaẓat al-Lādhiqīyah )

360-463: The area since the start of the civil war. [REDACTED] Media related to Latakia Governorate at Wikimedia Commons Samer Foz Samer Foz ( Arabic : سامر فوز ; born May 20, 1973), also known as Samer Zuhair Foz , is a Syrian businessman with close ties to the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad . He is the Chairman and General Manager of Aman Holding, which was formerly known as

384-457: The city, at Cote d'Azur. The latter hotel has 274 rooms and is the only international hotel in the city. Latakia is also host to numerous designer-label stores, notably on 8 Azar Street, and the heart of the city's shopping area is the series of blocks enclosed by 8 Azar Street, Yarmouk Street, and Saad Zaghloul Street in the city centre. Cinemas in Latakia include Ugarit Cinema, al-Kindi, and

408-536: The militia remained in the area around Palmyra for the remaining summer, though some of its fighters joined the Ithriyah-Raqqa offensive in June, which was ultimately a failure. Since July 2016, the Military Security Shield Forces became very active in northern Latakia, helping to repel a local rebel offensive , and thereafter assisting in holding the local frontline, thereby cooperating closely with another new pro-government militia, Saraya al-Areen. Meanwhile,

432-407: The militia took part in the battle to retake all of Deir ez-Zor city from ISIL. Afterwards, Military Shield militiamen began to garrison towns in eastern Syria which had been retaken from ISIL, such as Mayadin . The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights accused the militia of requisitioning food from local civilians during this time. As the civil war increasingly turned in favor of

456-524: The nearby Tiyas Military Airbase from the next Islamist attack. The unit was also involved in the following government counter-offensive in the area. On 23 February 2017, al-Masdar News reported that over 900 Syrian Marines had joined the Military Security Shield Forces in order to avoid being drafted into the regular army . In June 2017, the Military Shield Forces took part in an anti-ISIL offensive in eastern Hama . Later that year,

480-517: The northern edge of the range to flow into the Mediterranean. Another important river is Nahr al-Kabir al-Shamali , a river running from the Turkish border and to the southwest to flow in the Mediterranean, with the 16 Tishreen dam, one of the most important in the region, being constructed for power generation, storage of rain and river water, and the creation of Mashqita Lake . Latakia

504-532: The port handled about 8 million tons of cargo. The governorate is also a popular domestic tourist destination, with the Cote d'Azur B=beach of Latakia being Syria's premier coastal resort, offering water skiing, jet skiing, and windsurfing. The city contains eight hotels, two of which have five-star ratings; both the Cote d'Azur de Cham Hotel and Lé Meridien Lattiquie Hotel are located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north of

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528-521: The province in 2014 , 2015 and 2016 . In 2016 the Islamic State conducted a bomb attack on Jableh, resulting in many deaths. The Latakia Governorate comprises about half of Syria's Mediterranean coastline. The western part of the governorate consists mainly of coastal plains, with the inland eastern parts being mountainous, with the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range (Nusayriyah Mountains) running north to south. Its highest peak, Nabi Yunis,

552-502: Was also sent to Hama Governorate to bolster the local defences against a large-scale Jihadist -led rebel offensive . Notably, the militia also joined Operation Dawn of Victory that saw the fall of the rebel strongholds in Aleppo, and therefore the end of the four-year-long battle for the city. In course of this offensive, images emerged that showed the group being advised by Russian military personnel . A Military Shield detachment

576-631: Was present at the Palmyra frontline in December 2016, when ISIL launched a large-scale offensive in the area. This unit was later accused by the Tiger Forces to have fled in disarray after the first serious Islamist attacks, leaving Palmyra and Tadmor 's remaining pro-government defenders to their fate. Soon after, Palmyra fell to ISIL, and the Military Security Shield Forces were among the pro-government units that sent reinforcements to help defend

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