Raji Falhout group
Pro-Assad group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Raji Falhout group, named after its leader, Raji Falhout, was a government-aligned faction in Syria that was dissolved during the Syrian civil war.
| Raji Falhout group Dawn Forces[1] Atil group[2] | |
|---|---|
Leader | Raji Falhout |
| Dates active | 2015[2]–2025[citation needed] |
| Headquarters | Slaim, Syria Attil, Syria[3] |
| Active regions | Al-Suwayda Governorate, Syria[4] |
| Size | 30[5] |
| Wars | Syrian civil war |
History
The group was established in 2015 with the support of Military Intelligence.[2]
There were clashes between the Raji Falhout group and other groups, following the seizure of a seller and a university student in September 2021, in an attempt by the Raji Falhout group to force the release of a member of Military Intelligence who had been taken by the Anti-Terrorism Force (ATF).[6] A member of the Falhout group was captured by the ATF and his confession was aired on Facebook.[7] Members of the group clashed with the Men of Dignity in Suwayda and Attil that same month.[8]
The Raji Falhout group kidnapped university students from the town of Shahba on 26 July 2022.[9] They were arrested and charged with being members of the Syrian Brigade Party[10] and were all members of the Tawil family. Members of the family took four hostages of their own.[11] The Falhout group's headquarters in Slaim was taken over in response. Anti-government fighters additionally took control of the groups headquarters in Attil, where the student hostages were found and freed.[9] The Men of Dignity were one of the groups involved in the takeover,[1] as well as the Al-Jabal Brigade.[12] 13 fighters were reported killed, including nine fighters from Falhout group and four anti-government fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.[13] The total number of dead increased to ten government loyalists and seven opposition fighters, with 40 wounded by the next day.[14]
The group was allied with the Al-Fahd Forces.[15]
After numerous Raji Falhout group prisoners were tortured and killed by unknown persons, Laith al-Balous, a Druze leader, announced the release of six prisoners. His group also participated in the raids on the Falhout group headquarters in Slaim[16] and Attil.[17]
A group led by Laith al-Balous, as well as the Al-Jabal Brigade and the ATF, raided Qanawat in August 2022, pursuing members of the Raji Falhout group and Salim Humeid's Al-Fahd Forces.[18]