page_title: 14th Special Forces Division
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: 14th Special Forces Division / History
caption_attribution_description: English: General Ali Haidar, commander of the Syrian Special Forces at a military parade in 1990
context_page_description: The 14th Special Forces Division is a division of the Syrian Armed Forces specializing in light infantry operations.
context_section_description: Women special military forces from the Defense Companies in the '70s and early '80s ate live snakes as part of their training while children being trained in paramilitary activities were trained to stab live puppies to death. Syrian special forces also ate live scorpions, live snakes, and live puppies during training. Syrian soldiers are also trained to handle vipers.
  The 14th Special Forces Division was established to command three Special Forces Regiments after the mid 1990s restructuring of Ali Haydar’s consolidated Special Forces Command.
  Haydar's Special Forces expanded in size to 25,000 men, and formed a key part of the Syrian government's security apparatus. The Special Forces were trained in airborne operations, and were rivaled on power only by the Defense Companies controlled by Hafez's brother, Rifaat. As such, the 14th Division became a strong counter-weight to the Defense Companies, as both these formations were largely airborne divisions.
  Traditionally they are recruited from the Alawite sect to ensure loyalty to the government. Intelligence sources state it is likely that such units are involved in crushing popular dissent and neutralizing ringleaders.
caption: Maj.Gen. Ali Haidar, the father of Syrian special forces.
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