Latest news with #SuleimanShahBrigade
Rudaw Net
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Notorious militia leader assaults Kurdish citizen in Afrin
Also in Syria Syrian Kurds send aid to Alawite-majority areas hit by violence SDF says nine civilians killed in Kobane airstrike Syria accuses Lebanese Hezbollah of abducting, killing 3 soldiers: SANA Syrian Yazidis reject interim constitution A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Mohammad Hussein al-Jassim (Abu Amsha), the notorious commander of the Suleiman Shah Brigade, brutally assaulted a Kurdish civilian in the city of Afrin in northeast Syria for his perceived support of Syrian state security forces, leaving him bedridden with severe injuries, a human rights activist said on Monday. "At exactly 6:00 pm, Abu Amsha, accompanied by about 15 gunmen, brutally assaulted my cousin Ahmed Suleiman Shekho, which resulted in severe injuries. He is now bedridden and unable to move," Mustafa Shekho, a human rights activist and the victim's cousin, told Rudaw. According to Mustafa, the real motive behind the attack was the perceived support of local residents, including his cousin, for Syrian state security forces when they entered the area. 'This provoked Abu Amsha and his armed group, leading them to retaliate against the locals.' 'They also hurled offensive insults at him related to Mazloum Abdi [commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces] and Ahmed Al-Sharaa [the interim president of Syria],' Mustafa added. Abu Amsha is the leader of the Turkish-backed Suleiman Shah Brigade, also known as al-Amshat, which is sanctioned by Washington for "serious human rights abuses" in the Afrin region. Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch in March 2018, capturing Afrin from the People's Protection Units - the backbone of the SDF - and placing it under the control of Turkish-backed armed groups, including the Suleiman Shah Brigade. Since then, these groups have operated with significant impunity. Sharaa visited Afrin in mid-February and met with local residents, days after the Syrian security forces effectively entered the city. 'He pledged to remove armed groups and put an end to human rights violations,' a representative of the Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC) who attended the meeting told Rudaw at the time. Mustafa emphasized that the family will not drop the case and is determined to seek justice. 'We have reported the assault to the General Security Forces, and they have launched an official investigation.' As part of the inquiry, a delegation from the General Security visited Ahmed's home on Sunday evening to assess his condition. Amshat gunmen reportedly reacted by firing shots, trying to intimidate the locals and obstruct the investigation. In 2023, the US Treasury accused the Suleiman Shah Brigade of subjecting civilians in Afrin to 'abductions and extortion' and targeting Kurdish residents, noting that many people 'are subjected to harassment, abduction, and other abuses until they are forced to abandon their homes or pay large ransoms for return of their property or family members.' Reports by international watchdogs, including Amnesty International and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), documented in 2018 that armed groups committed numerous human rights violations, such as extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, sexual violence, kidnappings, looting of agricultural crops, and extortion.
Shafaq News
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Coastal Violence: Syrian factions accused of sectarian massacres
Shafaq News/ Syrian factions, Suleiman Shah Brigade (Amshat) and Hamza Division (Hamzat), stand accused of committing large-scale massacres and ethnic cleansing in Syria's coastal region, targeting the Alawite community, Al-Hurra reported on Monday. These factions conducted summary executions, house burnings, and forced displacements in Banias, Tartus, and Latakia under the pretext of fighting remnants of the former regime, activists and rights groups alleged. Over 1000 individuals have been killed in recent escalations, including 568 Alawite men, women, and children. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that some victims were executed by gunfire, while others were beheaded in systematic sectarian killings. Local sources in the town of Tanina, Tartus, reported that a convoy of Amshat and Hamzat fighters stormed Banias, where they took control for two days. During this period, they allegedly conducted mass executions in the Al-Qusour district, a predominantly Alawite neighborhood, and set homes ablaze. After reports of widespread killings, General Security Forces launched a military operation, forcing the factions to withdraw to Al-Hatania, Tartus countryside, while drones continued to monitor the area. Both factions have been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department over war crimes and human rights violations. The 2023 sanctions included asset freezes and financial restrictions on their leaders, citing extortion, forced displacement, kidnappings, and targeted assassinations. The US also blacklisted "Al-Safir Auto", a car trade company owned by Amshat leader Mohammad Hussein Al-Jassim (Abu Amsha), for alleged money laundering. Despite their main presence in Afrin, Al-Bab, and northern Aleppo, both groups relocated fighters to the coastal region in support of Ahmad Al-Sharaa's transitional government. The factions remain deeply embedded within the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), operating with logistical and military support from Ankara. Suleiman Shah Brigade, led by Abu Amsha, operates primarily from Sheikh Hadid in Afrin, with networks extending into northern Aleppo and Idlib. Hamza Division, under the command of Saif Boulat (Abu Bakr), maintains a presence in Al-Bab, Jarablus, and Afrin. Both factions have been accused of running illegal detention centers and carrying out extrajudicial killings, including the 2022 assassination of activist Mohammad Abdul Latif (Abu Ghannoum) and his wife in Al-Bab. Amid the coastal region's bloodshed, the new Syrian administration accused pro-Assad loyalists of launching counterattacks against security forces, further fueling the conflict. However, widely circulated videos on social media appear to show executions of civilians, raising questions about the official narrative. SOHR sources indicated that much of the violence involved pro-government factions and foreign fighters. Reports suggest that mercenaries from Uzbekistan and Central Asia participated in the operations, alongside remnants of former regime forces.
