Kurdish Special Forces in Syria Receive BREN 2 Assault Rifles

Special forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have received Czech-made BREN 2 assault rifles.

Open-source analyst @war_noir identified the weapons and shared this on the social media platform X.

The SDF is primarily composed of Kurdish fighters from the self-defense units formed prior to the uprising against the Bashar al-Assad regime. The United States has provided training and support to these forces.

The SDF also includes Syrian Arab opposition groups, as well as Assyrian and Turkmen armed units.

SDF special forces carrying BREN 2 rifles were seen during a recent prisoner exchange in Aleppo. They appeared to be providing security.

In the video, fighters are captured riding in an armored vehicle through a city street alongside large crowds of civilians.

@war_noir identified the rifles as BREN 2 BR chambered in 7.62×51 NATO, equipped with Pulsar Apex XD75 thermal imaging sights.

#Syria ??: “Rapid Intervention Unit of the #SDF” (T.O.L) during the recent prisoner exchange in the city of #Aleppo.

The #TOL fighters can be seen with an extremely rare #Czech-made ?? 7.62 #NATO “CZ BREN 2 BR” Rifle with “Pulsar Apex XD75” Thermal Scope. pic.twitter.com/V6vrBpvWTf

— war_noir (@war_noir) June 2, 2025

This is the first publicly documented instance of BREN 2 rifles being used by SDF units. It is currently unclear who supplied them with the weapons.

The BREN 2 assault rifle, developed by Česká zbrojovka, was presented in 2015 and adopted by the Czech Army in 2017.

It uses a gas-operated system with a short-stroke piston and a rotating bolt. The rifle features a quick-change barrel, allowing for adjustments in length and caliber. The upper receiver is made from aluminum alloy, while the lower receiver, pistol grip, and magazine housing are polymer.

The CZ BREN 2 BR version is chambered in 7.62×51 NATO, has a 407 mm (16-inch) barrel, and uses 25-round magazines.