Mohammed al-Jassem (, born in 1987, Jousa,

Hama Governorate Hama Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥamā'') is one of the 14 Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is situated in western-central Syria, bordering Idlib Governorate, Idlib and Aleppo Governorates to the north, Raqqa Gove ...

), also known by his ''

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

'' Abu Amsha () is a Syrian Army general commanding the 25th Division. He had previously served as the leader of the

Sultan Suleiman Shah Division The Sultan Suleiman Shah Division (), is a Turkish-backed faction in Syria operating under the Syrian National Army in the Syrian civil war. The group is also known as Suleiman Shah Brigade, and Amsha or al-Amshat after the nom de guerre of it ...

, a faction within the Turkish-supported group known as the

Syrian National Army The Syrian National Army (SNA; ), also known as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA), is a coalition of armed Syrian opposition groups that participate in the Syrian civil war. Comprising various rebel factions that emerged at the sta ...

. Abu Amsha gained prominence during the Syrian civil war after joining several

opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comedy ...

military groups. He also became well-known in March 2025, after participating in the

2025 massacres of Syrian Alawites A series of mass killings and massacres against Alawites occurred in Syria from 6 March 2025 to 17 March 2025, with a resurgence in early April. They were part of communal and sectarian violence by fighters aligned with the Syrian caretake ...

, in which he participated as the commander of the Hama division within the newly re-formed Syrian Army under the command of

Murhaf Abu Qasra Major General Murhaf Abu Qasra (), also known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Hassan al-Hamawi and Abu Hassan 600, is a Syrian military officer and politician who is currently serving as Minister of Defense in the Syrian transitional government si ...

Military career

Before the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, al-Jassem worked as a tractor and harvester driver in the Syrian countryside. With the onset of the conflict in 2011, he joined an armed opposition group known as "Khat Al-Nar" (Fire Line), which later merged with the "Martyrs of Hiyalin Battalion". On 19 November 2012, he co-founded the "Fire Line Brigade" in northern

. He joined the

Syrian Revolutionaries Front The Syrian Revolutionaries Front (, ''Jabhat Thowar Suriya'', SRF, also translated Syrian Rebel Front) was an alliance of 14 relatively moderate religious and some secular armed groups fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, formed in ...

(SRF) in 2013. Following clashes between it and

Jabhat al-Nusra Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist regime forces ...

, (which resulted in the dissolution of the SRF), al-Jassem relocated to northern

Aleppo Governorate Aleppo Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥalab'' ) is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is the most populous governorate in Syria with a population of more than 4,867,000 (2011 Est.), almost 23% of the t ...

and joined the

Levant Front The Levant Front (, Jabhat al-Shamiyah, also translated as the Sham Front or the Levantine Front) was a Syrian revolutionary group based around Aleppo involved in the Syrian Civil War. It was formed in December 2014. The northern branch of th ...

. Later, he became a unit commander in the

Sultan Murad Division The Sultan Murad Division (; ''Firqat al-Sultan Murad''; ) is a Syrian Turkmen rebel group fighting in the Syrian Civil War. It is aligned with the Syrian Interim Government and heavily supported by Turkey, who provides funding and military t ...

during

Operation Olive Branch Operation Olive Branch () was an invasion by the Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army (SNA) in the Kurdish-majority Afrin District of northwest Syria, against the People's Protection Units (YPG) of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Th ...

in Afrin in 2018 where his unit became infamous for committing atrocities against the local Kurds. Afterward, he established the

, which became part of the Turkish-backed

. After the

fall of the Assad regime On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, major offensive by Syrian opposition, opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turk ...

, military opposition factions began to merge within the Syrian Army under the Ministry of Defense of the new administration. Al-Jassem was subsequently promoted to the rank of brigadier general and was appointed commander of the 25th Division, with ''

Enab Baladi ''Enab Baladi'' () is a Syrian nonprofit media organization that publishes a newspaper with the same name, in Arabic and English. It was established in Darayya, Syria in 2011, and is also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. History and profile ...

'' calling it the Hama Brigade.

Controversies and allegations

Al-Jassem has frequently been criticized for his public appearances with armored vehicles and armed escorts. He has been accused of various human rights violations, including looting, extortion, and abuses against local populations in areas under his control. On 16 February 2022, he was removed from his leadership position by a tribunal of Syrian opposition factions investigating these allegations. Nonetheless, no action had been taken against him by April 2022 and he remained in a leadership position. Al-Jassem has also been accused of involvement in economic activities, including managing car dealerships under his faction’s control. In August 2023, the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current United States federal executive departments, U.S. government departments. ...

sanctioned him and his faction, stating that they engaged in extortion, forced displacement, and property confiscation, particularly targeting

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

residents of Afrin. On 28 May 2025, the

Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and less formally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven institutions of the European Union (EU) a ...

sanctioned him and his faction for his involvement in the

. Al-Jassem had also been accused of smuggling fighters and mercenaries from Syria to other countries.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jassem, Mohammed 1987 births Living people People of the Syrian civil war Syrian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions Syrian individuals subject to the European Union sanctions Syrian National Army Syrian generals Syrian Turkmen people

Military career

Controversies and allegations

See also

References