The Khabour Guards were originally set up by locals of the Khabur valley around late 2012 and early 2013. The group was supposed to act as pure self-defense force for the region's Assyrian villages, stay completely neutral in the Syrian Civil War, and be independent of all parties and warring factions, regardless of their political or religious orientations. Although the militia initially managed to attract hundreds of recruits, the Khabour Guards soon started to decline in military strength due to many locals migrating and the refusal of most Assyrian groups, such as the Assyrian Democratic Organization, to supply them with arms.