The founder and first commander of the group was First Lieutenant Khaldoun Sami Zinedine, a defector from the Syrian Armed Forces. Zinedine defected near Damascus, moved to the Daraa Governorate,[1] and joined the Free Officers Brigade in October 2011.[5] In December 2011, he announced the formation of the Sultan Pasha al-Atrash Battalion.[6] The group stated that its goal was to protect demonstrators in and around Suwayda.[7] In July 2012, the group blew up a Syrian Air Force ammunition depot in the Thula Military Airbase near Suwayda.[6]