| Country: | Syria |
| Details of Formation: | Al-Saiqa was founded in 1966 by Syrian members of the Baath party. |
| Details of Termination: | -- |
| Purpose: | Upon foundation, the main purpose of the group was to fight for Palestine, against Israel. Since the Syrian Civil War, the group’s main purpose shifted to fighting for the regime against anti-regime powers, including pro democracy protestors and rebel groups in Palestinian refugee camps. |
| Organisation: | Al-Saiqa is under the direct control of the regime. It answers directly to the Baath party. The Syrian government backs and sponsors it. In 1976, its leader was Zuheir Mohsen. Later, its commander was Abu Rashid, who was killed in June 2014. The group proved to be very loyal to Syria, even against fellow Palestinians. |
| Weapons and Training: | Al-Saiqa had training barracks in Damascus, which were destroyed in 2012. |
| Size: | -- |
| Reason for Membership: | -- |
| Treatment of Civilians: | -- |
| Other Information: | Al-Saiqa is a Syrian Palestinian group that backed the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). It was used by the Syrian regime to further its interests among the Palestinian population in Syria and abroad. When the Syrian civil war began, Al-Saiqa became active backing Assad’s regime in Syria. Before that, evidence suggests that it had mainly operated abroad. |
| References: | Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD |