Syrian Civil Defence Forces

The Syrian Civil Defence Forces, also known as Self-Protection Squads,^[2] is a civil defence organisation that operates in Syria.^[3] It is also known as The People's Army.^[4] Directors-General of the organisation have included Brigadier General Abdel-Chani Jamal.^[5] The forces are divided into units or squads.^[6]

Syrian Civil Defence Forces

Purpose	Civil defence
Region served	Syria
Official languages	Syrian Arabic
Volunteers	50,000[1]

The Syrian Civil Defence Forces have been part of the ICDO (International Civil Defence Organisation) from 1972 onward,^[7] when there were around 50,000 volunteers.^[1]

They are not connected to, and should not be confused with, the White Helmets / Syria Civil Defence (SCD).

Notes

1. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (1972). News Review on West Asia.
2. "First batch of self-protection squads in Damascus Countryside finishes training". SANA. 13 August 2013.
3. BBC. Monitoring Service (1981). Summary of World Broadcasts: Non-Arab Africa.
4. Seale, Patrick (January 1990). Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East. University of California Press. pp. 158–. ISBN 978-0-520-06976-3.
5. ARR: Arab Report and Record. Economic Features, Limited. 1977.
6. Beattie, Andrew; Pepper, Timothy (2001). The Rough Guide to Syria. Rough Guides. pp. 2–. ISBN 978-1-85828-718-8.
7. "ICDO website". ICDO. Archived from the original on 15 May 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.