Mustafa Al-Sheikh
| Mustafa Al-Sheikh | |
|---|---|
| Head of the Free Syrian Army Higher Military Council | |
|
In office March 2012 – December 2012[1] | |
| President |
Abdulbaset Sieda as Chairman of the Syrian National Council |
| Commander | Riad al-Asaad |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Syria |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
.svg.png){kind=small} Syrian National Council |
| Service/branch | Free Syrian Army |
| Years of service | 2011-present |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | Syrian civil war |
Mustafa Al-Sheikh (Arabic: مصطفى أحمد الشيخ) was the head of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) military council until December 2012.[1] He was a general in the Syrian Army prior to his defection during the Syrian civil war.[2]
Al-Sheikh said he battled with his conscience before defecting, mindful of his 37 years' service and of possible retribution against his extended family. He said the final straw had been a sexual assault by soldiers who took turns attacking a young bride in a village near Hama.[3]
Al-Sheikh had declared: "We want very urgent intervention, outside of the security council due to the Russian veto. We want a coalition similar to what happened in Kosovo and the Ivory Coast."[3] On May 26, 2012, al-Sheikh said government opponents had lost all faith in the UN Security Council, on which Damascus has Russia as a powerful backer.[4]
A well-informed source reported in November 2013 that Al-Sheikh and his older son had entered illegally into Sweden and applied for a political asylum.[4]
See also
References
- 1 2 Mroue, Bassem; Suzan Fraser (2012-12-08). "Syria Rebels Create New Unified Military Command". Huffington Post/AP. Archived from the original on 2012-12-08. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
- ↑ Brigadier-General Mustafa al-Sheikh Defects, Al Jazeera.
- 1 2 Spencer, Richard (2012-02-05). "Syria's most senior defector: Assad's army is close to collapse". The Daily Telegraph (London).
- 1 2 Colin Freeman; Ruth Sherlock (26 May 2012). "United Nations ceasefire in tatters after 92 killed in Syrian violence". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 26 May 2012.
