Overview
- Reuters reporting details competing efforts by Maj. Gen. Kamal Hassan and Rami Makhlouf to recruit fighters from Syria’s Alawite communities from exile in Russia, Lebanon and the UAE.
- Hassan’s camp claims 12,000 fighters with about $1.5 million spent since March, while Makhlouf’s camp claims at least 54,000 fighters with at least $6 million in salary outlays, according to internal records reviewed by Reuters.
- A network of 14 underground command rooms and coastal weapons caches is a central prize, with photographs showing rifles, ammunition, grenades and communications gear.
- Reuters found no evidence of forces mobilized on the ground, and commanders describe meager pay of roughly $20–$30 a month and shifting loyalties as fighters take money from multiple sources.
- Russian authorities have kept their distance while Syria’s government deploys figures such as Khaled al-Ahmad to counter the schemes, with the Tartous governor saying authorities are prepared and unconcerned about the exiles’ capacity.