Sultan Suleiman Shah Division

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Sultan Suleiman Shah Division
al-Amshat[1]
LeadersMohammed al-Jassem[2]
nom de guerre: Abu Amsha[3]
Dates of operation2011[4]-present[5]
Part ofSyrian opposition Syrian Army

Syrian opposition Free Syrian Army (formerly) Syrian opposition Syrian National Army (formerly) [6]

Allies
Opponents
Battles and wars
Syrian civil war

The Sultan Suleiman Shah Division (Arabic: فرقة السلطان سليمان شاه, romanized: Firqat al-Sulṭān Sulaymān Shāh) 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 its commander Mohammed al-Jassem's nom de guerre, and was formerly known as the Fireline Brigade until 2016.[4]

After the Fall of the Assad regime the group has been incorporated into the new Syrian Army under the Syrian transitional government as the 62nd Division.[16][17]

Foreign deployments

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Libya

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The Sultan Suleiman Shah Division was one of the Syrian rebel groups that deployed fighters to participate in the Libyan Civil War on behalf of the Government of National Accord. As of September 2022, 3,000 Syrian rebel fighters were present in Libya.[18]

Azerbaijan

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The division contributed a portion of the total between 1,500 and 2,000 Syrian rebel fighters deployed to Azerbaijan in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, participating in the conflict from September 2020 until its conclusion. This deployment led to some controversy, with one rebel fighter in northern Syria commenting in a widely-disseminated recording: "We can’t fight alongside the Shias. (...) [T]he Shias are our enemies more than the Christians and Jews".[19] Later, in April 2021, a group from among the division's fighters who had participated in the Nagorno-Karabakh War protested in Turkish-occupied northern Syria, accusing the division's head Mohammed al-Jassem of having seized their salaries.[20]

Niger

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The division was one of the factions affiliated with the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army that deployed a combined total of at least 1,000 fighters to Niger between November 2023 and April 2024, in order to protect Turkish interests in the country, particularly mines.[21]

Sanctions

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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.[22][23]

Human rights abuses

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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.[24]

Fighters from the Sultan Suleiman Shah Division participated in the 2025 massacres of Syrian Alawites.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Walid Al Nofal (19 April 2022). "Mergers and tensions within the Syrian National Army: A 'struggle for existence'". Syria Direct. Retrieved 2 February 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. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  4. ^ a b "THE SNA ENCYCLOPEDIA: A GUIDE TO THE TURKISH PROXY MILITIAS" (PDF). Rojava information center. August 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Who's Who - Abu Amsha: A Warlord's Rise to Power and Controversy". The Syrian Observer. 3 December 2024. Retrieved 31 January 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. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  10. ^ a b c Orwa Ajjoub (26 October 2022). "HTS, Turkey, and the future of Syria's north". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 2 February 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. ^ 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. ^ "Turkey-Backed Militias Accused of Abuses in Northern Syria, Rights Group Urges Accountability from New Government". The Syrian Observer. 14 May 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  17. ^ Violations against civilians in Coastal and Western Central Syria in January - March 2025 (PDF). Human Rights Council. 2025. p. 16.
  18. ^ Muhammad, Saya (14 September 2022). "Syrian mercenaries get involved in Libyan confrontations – NGO". North Press Agency [ckb]. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  19. ^ Pugliese, Matteo (7 October 2020). "The Role of Foreign Fighters in the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict". Institute for International Political Studies. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  20. ^ Hassan, Hosheng; Snell, Lindsey (10 April 2021). ""Abu Amsha ate our salaries:" Turkish-backed Syrian militants angry over unpaid salaries". North Press Agency [ckb]. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  21. ^ "After Libya and Azerbaijan: A Turkish Private Security Company Deploys Syrian Mercenaries to Niger". Syrians for Truth and Justice. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  22. ^ "Sanctioned Extremists Open Fire on Peaceful Protestors in Occupied Afrin". Syrian Democratic Times. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ "Türkiye's Troubling Embrace of Syrian Groups Accused of Grave Crimes". Human Rights Watch. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2025.