Defense Companies (Syria)

The Companies for the Defense of the Revolution (Arabic: سرايا الدفاع عن الثورة; Sarāyā ad-Difāʿʿan al-thawra), commonly referred to as Defense Companies, Defense Corps or Defense Brigades (Arabic: سرايا الدفاع; Sarāyā ad-Difāʿ) and informally called "Rifaat's boys", were a Syrian all-Alawite paramilitary force commanded by Rifaat al-Assad. Their task was to safeguard and defend the government of Hafez al-Assad, and the capital Damascus, from internal and external attack.

Source: Wikipedia — Defense Companies (Syria) (CC BY-SA 4.0)