Syria, the Spanish Civil war and foreign legions
Like in the Spanish Civil War, the "foreign legions" are complicating the resolution of the conflict in Syria.
by Ibrahim Al-Marashi
Ibrahim al-Marashi is an associate professor at the Department of History, California State University, San Marcos.
3 HOURS AGO
Media reports have recently focused on the role of Iraqi Shia militias in the battle for Aleppo, essentially foreign legions fighting on behalf of the Syrian state.
Despite their differences, both the Spanish and Syrian civil wars witnessed the intervention of foreign legions, entire units of regular armies, militias, and air forces from other states, opposed to foreign fighters, independent individuals who chose to fight for an ideological cause.
In commemoration of the 80-year anniversary of the Spanish Civil War which began in July 1936, this article compares the role of foreign legions in that conflict to the Syrian civil war.
The significance of foreign legions in both conflicts is that they pushed the military momentum in favour of both Francisco Franco and Bashar al-Assad.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/10/syria-spanish-civil-war-foreign-legions-161009132144439.html