Sultan Suleiman Shah Division

Sultan Suleiman Shah Division
al-Amshat[1]
فرقة السلطان سليمان شاه
LeadersMohammed al-Jassem[2]
nom de guerre: Abu Amsha[3]
Dates of operation2016–present[4]
Size2,000+[5]
Part of Syrian National Army[6]
Allies
Opponents
Battles and wars
Syrian civil war

The Sultan Suleiman Shah Division (Arabic: فرقة السلطان سليمان شاه, romanized: Firqat Alsultan Sulayman Shah), 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 its commander, Mohammed al-Jassem.

The group committed many crimes throughout its existence, these include looting, extortion, kidnapping, rape and forced displacement. The group was sanctioned by United States for its human rights abuses in Afrin region. The group also participated in 2025 massacres of Syrian Alawites.

History

The group was founded by Mohammed al-Jassem, a former commander of Free Syrian Army-affiliated militias. The group claims to have more than 2000 fighters which it trains in camps in northern Aleppo.[5]

In the early days of Syrian civil war, al-Jassem founded a rebel group called "Line of Fire Brigade", it was mainly composed of his Bani Jamil clan. Line of Fire Brigade initially aligned with the Free Syrian Army and received financial support from Gulf-based donors. Later, the group became affiliated with the Syria Revolutionaries Front and then with the Levant Front after their disagreement with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. The group was forced to flee to Idlib after clashes with other Syrian rebel groups. In 2016, Abu Amsha rebranded Line of Fire Brigade to Sultan Suleiman Shah Division to solidify Turkish support.[4]

The group and its commander has been accused of widespread human rights abuses and war crimes, including extrajudicial killings, kidnappings, torture, extortion, sexual violence, and looting.[16] A criminal investigation was opened against al-Jassem and his two brothers for alleged corruption and forced displacement of people from Afrin Region. A lawsuit was also filed against the group by opposition factions in late 2021, for its "alleged violations" in the village of Sheikh Hadid.[17] In addition, al-Jassem was also accused of sexual assault after a woman named Israa publicly accused him of repeated rape. The woman would disappear in suspicious circumstances shortly after her accusation, making people suspect al-Jassem's involvement.[4]

The group reportedly carried out robberies and looting of the local property in the town of Sheikh al-Hadid in 2020, the value of the items stolen by the group is estimated at about 12 million dollars. The group also carried out many false arrests of Kurds in the same town after accusing them of false pretenses and fabricated criminal charges in order to displace them from their homes.[18]

Sultan Suleiman Shah Division is reportedly present in Libya as mercenaries for Turkey to help the Government of National Accord against the Libyan National Army. The group carried out many violations here as well, including looting houses, imposing royalties on shops and stealing food from others.[19]

Fighters from the Sultan Suleiman Shah Division participated in the 2025 massacres of Syrian Alawites together with Hamza Division.[14][15] Allegedly, they committed large-scale massacres and ethnic cleansing against Alawite communities living in coastal Syria.[20]

Sanctions

The group was sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury for "serious human rights abuses against those residing in the Afrin region of northern Syria" in 2023. The group was accused of kidnapping and extorting residents living in the city of Afrin to force them to abandon their homes and flee or to “pay large ransoms for return of their property or family members”.[21][22] The group has mainly targeted Kurdish residents of the city.[23]

According to US government's sanction announcement against the group, the Sultan Suleiman Shah Division has been "directed to forcibly displace Kurdish residents and seize their property, providing vacated homes for Syrians from outside the region who are often related to fighters in the brigade”, it haven't specified whether the orders came from Turkey or president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan himself.[24]

References

  1. ^ Walid Al Nofal (19 April 2022). "Mergers and tensions within the Syrian National Army: A 'struggle for existence'". Syria Direct. Translated by Mateo Nelson. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  2. ^ David Adesnik; Sinan Ciddi (21 August 2023). "U.S. Sanctions Target Turkey-Backed Militias in Syria, but Not Turkish Authorities". Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  3. ^ Walid Al Nofal (4 April 2022). "The case of Abu Amsha: How commanders of Turkish-backed factions in northwestern Syria go unpunished". Syria Direct. Translated by Mateo Nelson. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Who's Who - Abu Amsha: A Warlord's Rise to Power and Controversy". The Syrian Observer. 3 December 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Suleiman Shah Brigade". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Recent Developments in Syria: Between Military Gains and Future Challenges". Harmoon Center for Contemporary Studies. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  7. ^ "At Turkish Intelligence's orders, Turkish-backed factions form new alliance in north Syria". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  8. ^ Sultan al-Kanj (4 November 2021). "Why are Turkish-allied formations collapsing in Syria?". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  9. ^ Walid Al Nofal (12 October 2022). "'Accountability, or fall': Syrian National Army's Hamza Division under fire after assassination of opposition activist in northern Aleppo". Syria Direct. Translated by Mateo Nelson. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d Orwa Ajjoub (26 October 2022). "HTS, Turkey, and the future of Syria's north". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  11. ^ "Amid crashing battles in city's suburbs | "Joint forces" send military reinforcement to frontlines on outskirts of Hama city". The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  12. ^ Tom O'Connor (20 December 2024). "US-Backed Fighters Are Already Losing Hope in Post-Assad Syria". Newsweek. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  13. ^ Siddhant Kishore; Carolyn Moorman; Alexandra Braverman; Ria Reddy; Andie Parry; Johanna Moore; Ben Rezaei; Katherine Wells; Avery Borens; Brian Carter (22 January 2025). "Iran Update, January 22, 2025". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  14. ^ a b Hélène Sallon; Madjid Zerrouky (9 March 2025). "Syrians describe the violence targeting Alawite minority: 'Tomorrow, there won't be a man left alive in my village'". Le Monde. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  15. ^ a b "'They killed him in cold blood': the cycle of revenge in north-west Syria". The Guardian. 15 March 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  16. ^ "Türkiye's Troubling Embrace of Syrian Groups Accused of Grave Crimes". Human Rights Watch. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  17. ^ "Turkish-backed Sultan Suleiman Shah Division controls village of Syria's north". North Press Agency. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  18. ^ "In just one year "Abu Amsha" got 12 million dollars from ransoms and royalties in Shiye district of Afrin". Afrin Post. 26 December 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  19. ^ "Syrian mercenaries get involved in Libyan confrontations – NGO". North Press Agency. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  20. ^ "Coastal Violence: Syrian factions accused of sectarian massacres". Shafaq News. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  21. ^ "Sanctioned Extremists Open Fire on Peaceful Protestors in Occupied Afrin". Syrian Democratic Times. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  22. ^ Kareem Chehayeb (17 August 2023). "US imposes sanctions on 2 Turkey-backed Syrian militias and the groups' leaders". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  23. ^ "Treasury Sanctions Two Syria-Based Militias Responsible for Serious Human Rights Abuses in Northern Syria". US Department of Treasury. 17 August 2023.
  24. ^ Petti, Matthew (22 August 2023). "US slap sanctions on formerly CIA-backed Syrian rebels". Responsible Statecraft. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
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