How did Hafez al-Assad died?
Hafez al-Assad was the President of Syria, who ruled the country since the 1970 Corrective Movement, died from a heart attack on 10 June 2000 at the age of 69.
What were the Shabiha accused of doing?
During the war, the shabiha have been accused by Syrian locals and the foreign press of attacking and killing protesters.
Was the US ever in Syria?
In November 2015, the Obama administration began the deployment of U.S. special forces to Syria, with the mission of assisting rebel forces in their fight against ISIL, President Obama then ordered several dozen Special Operations troops into Rojava in northern Syria to assist local fighters battling ISIL, authorizing …
Who are the Assads of Syria?
The al-Assad family ( Arabic: عَائِلَة الْأَسَد ʿāʾilat al-ʾAsad) has ruled Syria since Hafez al-Assad became President of Syria in 1971 by the Ba’ath Party. After his death in June 2000, his son Bashar succeeded him. The Assads are originally from Qardaha, just east of Latakia in north-west Syria.
Who is Mohammed Toufic al-Assad?
On 14 March, an influential cousin of Assad and founder of the shabiha, Mohammed Toufic al-Assad, was assassinated with five bullets to the head in a dispute over influence in Qardaha —the ancestral home of the Assad family. In April 2015, Assad ordered the arrest of his cousin Munther al-Assad in Alzirah, Latakia.
How did Bashar al-Assad come to power?
In 1970, Hafez al-Assad, Bashar’s father, seized power after rising through the ranks of the Syrian armed forces, during which time he established a network of loyal Alawites by installing them in key posts.
Who was Ahmed al-Assad and what did he do?
He made a fortune on construction and contracting deals in Syria involving large scale projects financed by other Arab states. On 24 June 2011, the EU sanctioned him for providing funding to the regime to repress protesters of the Syrian Civil War. Ahmed al-Assad, was an older half-brother of Hafez al-Assad from Ali Sulayman’s first wife Sa’ada.