Syria removes three civil war-era commanders in army shake-up
Syria 's government has removed three army commanders from their posts, in a shake-up to reduce the power of factions that were rivals during the civil war. The three prominent commanders from the former rebel Syrian National Army have been reassigned to administrative positions outside their former areas of command. The move is part of efforts by Syria’s authorities to consolidate the armed…
The Syrian government has recently removed three prominent army commanders from their positions as part of a broader shake-up aimed at consolidating the armed forces under a centralized chain of command. These commanders, all former rebels from the Syrian National Army, were reassigned to administrative roles outside their previous command areas.
The three men removed are Mohammed Al Jassem, known as Abu Amsha, Ahmed Al Hayes, known as Abu Hatem Shaqra, and Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr, also referred to as Sayf Bulad. Each commander was removed due to their past involvement in conflicts and allegations of human rights abuses during the civil war. Abu Amsha, for instance, was sanctioned by the US in August 2023 for serious human rights abuses, including property seizures and kidnappings.
Similarly, Abu Hatem Shaqra and Sayf Bulad Abu Bakr faced sanctions for their roles in alleged abuses such as executions, torture, and kidnappings. The shake-up reflects Syria's authorities' efforts to integrate various armed factions into the Defense Ministry, consolidating control across the country following the ousting of President Bashar Al Assad in December 2024.
Brief written by urgent.news from The National UAE's own syndicated text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
