The provocations carried out by the Damascus government in Qamishlo and Hesekê through a paramilitary group called Difa al-Watani (National Defense Forces, NDF) have turned the eyes to this structure again.

After the government imposed embargo on Shehba and Aleppo and started arbitrary arrests, the tension experienced in these regions spread to Qamishlo and Hesekê.

Paramilitary group NDF has recently targeted and abducted civilians leading to provocations in Hesekê and Qamishlo.

The NDF has a long list of war crimes.

The NDF organized by the Syrian intelligence Muhaberat with the start of the Syrian civil war, is not a new organization.

When the Arab Spring protests started, Muhaberat, which is known as the strongest intelligence among the Arab countries, made some preparations in order to ward off protests spreading to Syria.

Towards the end of 2009, some figures were sent to Iran by Muhaberat for militia organizations and counter-guerrilla training.

These people received two months of training by Iranian intelligence Itlaat based on the Besic (intelligence-based volunteers committees) system in Iran.

These people returned to Syria and started to organize militia, especially in Damascus and Aleppo, under Air Intelligence.

Their activities within the Air Intelligence, the institution from which Hafez Assad, one of the founders of the Ba'ath party, came from, have increased the power of the NDF.

With the start of the Friday Anger protests in Syria in 2011, these people mostly joined the protesters and played a role in creating provocations and reporting those who participated in the protests to intelligence.

Upon the outbreak of clashes in 2012, many criminals convicted of murder, theft, extortion, rape, and organized crime were released. These former criminals were included in this structure.

Established officially in 2012, the NDF gave huge support to the regime, especially in cities such as Aleppo and Damascus.

This structure, which first took part in intelligence activities such as espionage, profiling and provocation, later took its place in operations in cities.

Later the NDF started to work closely with Hezbollah and the Quds Force affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards under the command of Qasem Soleimani and quickly organized in many cities of Syria.

The number of its members who are charged in cities after receiving one month training, increased rapidly and in 2013, their number exceeded 40 thousand.

War crimes they committed such as murder, torture, kidnapping, rape, ransom and plunder in provinces such as Homs, Hama, Dara, Latakia, Damascus and Aleppo increased in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Members of the NDF, who fluctuated between ISIS, Al-Nusra and Ihvan organizations (Muslim Brotherhood) in many places, also changed sides during battle in many cities.

During the ISIS attacks on Hesekê in July 2015, many members of the NDF changed sides and joined ISIS.

Hesekê did not fall into the hands of ISIS thanks to the intervention of YPG / YPJ fighters, after days of violent clashes.

In August 2013, the Syrian parliament found a legal cover for this paramilitary structure, which until then had no legal basis. The Syrian parliament passed a decree authorizing companies to fund militias.

With the governmental protection and financial resources, the number of NDF members has increased and it is estimated that the current number of this paramilitary structure exceeds 100 thousand.

With the enactment of the decree, Fadi Ahmad (also known as Fadi Saqir), who has a company in Damascus, is said to finance and command the NDF.

Fadi Ahmed is among the 39 names included in the sanction list of the Caesar Act introduced by the USA in August 2020.

Upon the recent provocations of the NDF in Hesekê and Qamishlo, the Internal Security Forces of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria increased the security measures around the neighborhoods where the NDF is active.

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria warned both Russia and the Damascus regime of the provocations of the NDF forces.