Supreme Military Council (Syria)

Supreme Military Council
المجلس العسكري الأعلى
Participant in the Syrian Civil War
Active 7 December 2012 – 26 June 2014
Allegiance Syrian National Council
Leaders
Area of operations Syria
Part of Free Syrian Army

The Supreme Military Council (SMC) (Arabic: المجلس العسكري الأعلى‎‎, also called the Supreme Military Command[2] or the Higher Military Council in Aleppo) was the highest military leadership of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) from late 2012 to mid-2014. It was headed by brigadier general Abdelkarim al-Ahmed. The establishment of the organisation was announced on 7 December 2012 with the backing of western and Arab powers as a means of financing and arming Syrian rebel forces.[3][4]

The Supreme Military Council of the FSA supported the Syrian National Council (SNC).[5] It also recognized the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as the "civil authority" of the Syrian opposition.[1]

History

On 7 December 2012, 260 rebel commanders from all over Syria agreed to a unified command structure of the Free Syrian Army. The participants elected a 30-member Supreme Military Council, which then selected Brigadier General Salim Idris as Chief of Staff.[4] The council was created with the backing of western powers and many Arab states as a vehicle to finance and arm rebel groups.[3]

On 11 July 2013, a commander of the SMC's Western Front, Kamal al-Hamami,[6] met with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the Latakia Governorate, which resulted in him being killed by ISIL. ISIL then threatened to kill all SMC members.[7]

On 16 February 2014, the Supreme Military Council announced that Idris was replaced with Colonel Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir, head of the FSA's Quneitra Military Council.[8] 4 months later on 26 June 2014, Abdullah al-Bashir was sacked by the SNC and the Supreme Military Council was dissolved.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Military Political Complex". Syria:direct. 6 October 2013.
  2. ↑ "Factbox: Syrian rebels against opposition coalition". Reuters. 25 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 Stein, Aaron (December 2014). "Stumbling in Iraq and Syria 2011-14". Whitehall Papers. 83 (1).
  4. 1 2 "Rebel groups in Syria make framework for military". The New York Times. 7 December 2012.
  5. ↑ "Guide to armed and political opposition". BBC. 17 October 2013.
  6. ↑ Lister, Charles (2015). The Syrian Jihad: Al-Qaeda, The Islamic State and the Evolution of an Insurgency. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016: Oxford University Press. p. 157. ISBN 9780190462475.
  7. ↑ "Al Qaeda kills Free Syrian Army commander: FSA spokesman". Reuters. 11 July 2013.
  8. ↑ "Free Syrian Army sacks chief, appoints replacement". Reuters. 16 February 2014.
  9. ↑ "Syrian rebel command sacked over graft claims". Al-Arabiya. 27 June 2014.
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