A leaked document obtained from Syrian government archives shows the Assad regime reported 686 defected soldiers and officers in 2015, many of them high-ranking, with 53 percent holding sergeant or first sergeant ranks, along with dozens of commanders.
Surprisingly, many defectors were from well-known Alawite families, with a number hailing from the Assad, the Makhlouf (President Bashar al-Assad’s mother’s family) and the Shalish families. Other well known Alawite families like the Ismael, Deeb, Jdid, Saqer, Haifa, Dweri, Bilal, Rawaa, and others also saw a large number of high-ranking defections.
The ranks of defected officers varies, with 225 ground forces commanders, seven landing commanders, 24 scout commanders, 23 tanks' commanders, and 15 commanders of the cannon group.
