30th Division (Syria)


The 30th Division is a Syrian Division of the Republican Guard established in 2017.

History

The 30th Division was established in January 2017, following the Syrian Government’s regain of Aleppo city. The Republican Guard created the new Division to incorporate all its units in Aleppo under a single nominal command, and to integrate the paramilitary militias in the city into the Republican Guard organization.
The then-deputy commander of the Republican Guard and overall military commander of the 2016 Aleppo offensive, Major General Ziad Ali Salah, was appointed in charge of the 30th Division until November 2017 with Major General Zeid as his deputy. In November 2017 Brigadier General Malik Alia took over the command.

Organization

Gregory Waters acknowledged the difficulty to determine the exact structure of the 30th Division. According to Gregory Waters, it appears to operate three special forces regiments and three brigades: According Kheder Khaddour, the 30th Division functions as an umbrella organization for Aleppo’s local militias while retaining independent operating structures.