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The Syria-based Malhama Tactical military training group published photos on its X (formerly Twitter) account showing its fighters supervising the training of recruits who had recently joined the Syrian armed forces.[1]
Malhama Tactical was established around 2016 by an Uzbek fighter in Syria known as Abu Rofiq. Initially, its forces consisted of ten to 15 members, mainly foreign fighters from the Caucasus.
Among its commanders were Belarusians and Chechens, with some instructors who were formerly Russian soldiers. The group focused on military training, working in close coordination with Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), as well as other Syria-based jihadi groups.
One post, published in the Russian language on March 7, 2025, showed a masked fighter from Malhama Tactical taking a selfie photo against a backdrop of dozens of soldiers.
"The Syrian MoD is being replenished with more and more fighters," reads the post.
"Training Ongoing To Repel Zionists, Monkeys, Atheists"
On March 7, 20205, the group's account reposted an Arabic message which celebrated the group's supervision of the Syrian Army training, saying:
"Graduation courses and preparing soldiers are ongoing. We are a nation of action. Our enemies are many and preserving what has been gained through the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands is an individual duty. Monkeys [i.e., Alawites] on the coast [i.e., Latakia and Tartus], Zionists and their agents in the south, and atheists [i.e., Kurds] more malicious than any in the east."
Letter From South Africa
A post published on February 27, 2025, showed a Malhama Tactical Team holding a letter written in Arabic.
The post provided a Russian translation for the letter that reads: "From your Muslim brothers from South Africa: Abdullah, Ayoub, Ahmad, Abu Salam."
The post continued: "May Allah reward you with good in both worlds; brothers do not forget us either in your duas or in your help."
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