Zaman al-Wasl has obtained a document showing the approximate number and rank of pro-regime National Defense Force (NDF) militia members in the coastal city of Lattakia.
According to the document, at least 92,560 NDF members are currently stationed in Lattakia, divided into 27 departments, battalions and branches. There are eight battalions of ground forces, with each containing 6,000 members, totaling 45,600 fighters. Five other battalions specializing in tanks and cannons bring a total of 29,100 members.
NDF forces consist of five brigades, including: signallers, snipers, special task force and the military police brigade – the largest at 3,000 members.
There are also eight branches and departments, including those belonging to education, media, information and intelligence.
The huge number of NDF in Lattakia indicates President Bashar al-Assad has left the protection of the Syrian coast in the hands of the National Defense Forces militias instead of the Syrian army.
The document also highlighted the huge amount of expenditure on food on the NDF, reaching 11 million Syrian pounds monthly (SYP 135 million a year).
Lattakia province, home to Syria's largest port and a stronghold of Assad's Alawite sect, has been a key battleground of the conflict.
