The National Defense Forces (NDF) is a pro-Syrian government militia that was formed on 1 November 2012 with assistance from Iran's Quds Force. The NDF was modeled after Iran's Basij militia, and the IRGC gave the NDF guerrilla training. By August 2013, it had a strength of 100,000 troops, and because of its secular status, it recruited Alawites, Christians, Druze, and Armenians, while some Shabiha members joined the NDF. The group initially defended local areas, but it became a major component of the fighting Syrian Arab Army in the war.
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NDF soldiers in Homs