Commander Riad al-Asaad Battles/wars Syrian civil war Years of service 2011-present Service/branch Free Syrian Army | Religion Sunni Islam Preceded by Office established Name Mustafa Al-Sheikh Rank General officer | |
President Abdulbaset Sieda
as Chairman of the Syrian National Council | ||
Battles and wars Syrian civil war Allegiance Syrian National Council | ||
Mustafa Al-Sheikh (Arabic: مصطفى أحمد الشيخ) was the head of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) military council until December 2012. He was a general in the Syrian Army prior to his defection during the Syrian civil war.
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 raping a young bride in a village near Hama.
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." 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.
In November 2013 it was reported that Al-Sheikh and his son had applied for political asylum in Sweden.