ISIS Hunters

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ISIS Hunters
Active	2017 - 2023[1]
Country	Syria
Role	Special forces
Engagements	Syrian Civil War

The ISIS Hunters were a special forces unit of the Syrian Army, formed in 2017 during the Syrian civil war. The unit was informal part of Wagner PMC in Syria.^[2][3] Between 2021 and 2023, the unit was formally dissolved.^[4] However, their actions and patches are still being posted on Russian Special Forces Telegram, proving that the unit still exists and perform special operations in 2024.^{[citation needed]}

History[edit]

The ISIS Hunters were formed in early 2017 after the Syrian Armed Forces were routed in the December 2016 battle of Palmyra.^[2] The group's fighters are integrated into the 5th Army Corps, a formation formed in November 2016 with Russian support, composed entirely of volunteers.^[5]

Russia's goal in forming the ISIS Hunters was to build forces that can serve as a counterweight to Iran in Syria, as their objectives in the region differ from those of Moscow.^[5] The training of the ISIS Hunters was supervised by the Russians, particularly by the private military company Wagner Group, and their weapons and equipment are also supplied by Russia.^[2]

Personnel[edit]

The group's strength was probably a few dozen men; some of its fighters in propaganda videos appear to be particularly old.^[5]

Areas of operation[edit]

In early 2017, the ISIS Hunters were operating in the Palmyra area, where they were responsible for protecting the military airport, as well as gas and oil fields.^[5]

In February 2018, the ISIS Hunters were engaged in the Battle of Khasham near Deir ez-Zor against the Syrian Democratic Forces.^[6] During this battle, they were subjected to U.S. bombing, resulting in the loss of twenty of their men.^[6] Following this incident, the group issued a statement about the casualties they suffered during the fighting.^[5]

References[edit]