Guardians of the Dawn

Guardians of the Dawn
حراس الفجر
A promotional image for the Guardians of the Dawn, showcasing their insignia to the right. The constituent groups of the coalition also frequently use theChristian cross,theFlag of Syriaand images ofBashar al-Assadas logos.
Leaders	Fadi Abd al-Massih Khouri
Dates of operation	2015– present
Allegiance	Syrian Air Force Intelligence Directorate
Group(s)	Lions of the Cherubim Earthquake of Jobar Ararat Group Lions of the Valley Lions of Hamidiya (former) Intervention Regiment Lions of Dwel’a
Headquarters	Various Christian towns throughout Syria
Active regions	WesternSyria
Ideology	Christiansolidarity Christian holy war Syrian nationalism
Allies	Syrian Armed Forces SSNP Sootoro Various other pro-government militias
Opponents	Free Syrian Army Army of Conquest Jaysh al-Islam Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Jund al-Aqsa
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Rif Dimashq Governorate campaign Siege of Darayya and Muadamiyat Rif Dimashq offensive (April–May 2016) Rif Dimashq offensive (June–October 2016) Homs offensive (November–December 2015) 2016 Hama offensive Hama offensive (March–April 2017)

TheGuardians of the Dawn(Arabic:حراس الفجر,romanized:Ḥurrās al-Fajr) are a coalition of Christian pro-government militias which are involved in theSyrian Civil Warand affiliated with theAir Force Intelligence Directorate.Although the Guardians of the Dawn, whose official motto is"A homeland that we do not protect is one we do not deserve to live in",promote themselves as aSyrian nationalistforce, their fighters are primarily motivated by a concept ofholy warto defend the Christian areas of Syria from hostile rebels. The militiamen of Usud al-Cherubim, one of the coalition's constituent groups, even refer to themselves as "mujahideenof the cross ".

History

Following the outbreak of theSyrian Civil Warin 2012, several Christian militias were formed to fight for the Syrian government against insurgents. These groups were generally organized as self-defense units, as Syrian rebels began to attack Christian religious sites and kidnap Christians for ransom soon after the insurgency gained momentum. The Syrian government was also interested in arming Christian militias, as these were generally loyal and relieved the hard-pressedSyrian Army.Christian units played a major role in the fighting for theQalamoun Mountains2013–14, where several important Christian centers are located, such as the towns ofMaarounahandYabroud,as well as theCherubim ConventnearSaidnaya.

According to their official leader, Fadi Abd al-Massih Khouri, the Guardians of the Dawn were established on 11 September 2015, when various Christian militias banded together to defend Maarounah from an attack byJaysh al-Islam;as this ad-hoc alliance proved highly successful, the coalition was promptly formalized under Khouri's leadership. The idea behind its foundation was that the different Christian militias should help each other when their villages come under assault.

Initially, the new coalition was known as "Homeland Shield" ( "Dir’ al-Watan" ), and soon began to participate in various campaigns to defend or capture Christian localities in Syria: In late 2015 the member groups joined agovernment offensivein the westernHoms Governorate,during which they helped to retakeSadadandMahinfrom theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant.For these operations they received the official gratitude ofSootoro.In March 2016 the alliance adopted its current name, and later that year sent fighters to the northernHama Governoratein order to defend a number of Christian villages from aJihadist-ledrebel offensive.The Guardians also took part in the fighting forQamhanaduring theHama offensive (March–April 2017).

Besides these campaigns, the Guardians of the Dawn are also very active throughout theRif Dimashq Governorate,taking part in various offensives against rebel-held easternGhoutaand theSiege of Darayya and Muadamiyat;the latter operation was partly framed by Usud al-Cherubim as "liberating its [Darayya's] churches". Khouri also ran as parliamentary candidate in theelectionsof April 2016, though failed to win a seat.

Constituent groups

• Lions of the Cherubim( "Usud al-Cherubim" ): Formed in 2013 as "local 'monastery defence' force" for the Cherubim Convent near Saidnaya,the Usud al-Cherubim have become very active throughout western Syria since 2014. They claim to have participated in the various government offensives in theQalamoun Mountains(2013,2014,2015), theconquest of Jobar,the battles of Eastern Ghouta, the Siege of Darayya and Muadamiyat, the Homs offensive (November–December 2015), and the Hama offensive in 2016.Furthermore, the Usud al-Cherubim were instrumental in the creation of the Guardians of the Dawn coalition. One of the unit's contingents is named "Earthquake of Jobar" ( "Zilzal Jobar" ).The exact size of the unit is unknown; their widespread military activity suggests that the Usud al-Cherubim can count upon a considerable number of fighters, while their very light casualties imply that their actual military strength is rather weak.
• Ararat Group
• Lions of the Valley( "Usud al-Wadi" ): A self-defense group fromWadi al-Nasara,a valley whose population is almost exclusively (98%) Christian.
• Lions of Hamidiya( "Usud al-Hamidiya" ): This unit, originating in the Hamidiya neighbourhood ofHomsand led by Rami Marina, left the Guardians of the Dawn to join theMilitary Intelligence Directorate-affiliated the Desert Commandos Regiment sometime in May 2016.
• Intervention Regiment:The personal militia of Fadi Abd al-Massih Khouri, formed in September 2015.
• Lions of Dwel’a( "Usud Dwel’a" ): A self-defense group from the Dwel’a neighbourhood ofDamascus.

See also

• List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War
• Air Force Intelligence Directorate

Bibliography

• Oehring, Otmar (2017)."Christen in Syrien: Aktuelle Lage und Perspektiven"[Christians in Syria: Current situation and perspectives](PDF).Analysen und Argumente(in German) (237).Sankt Augustin:Konrad Adenauer Foundation.