Mustafa Ahmed al-Sheikh
| Mustafa Al-Sheikh | |
|---|---|
| Head of the Free Syrian Army Higher Military Council | |
|
In office March 2012 – December 2012 |
|
| President |
Abdulbaset Sieda as Chairman of the Syrian National Council |
| Commander | Riad al-Asaad |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 2, 1957 Atme, Syria |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Syrian National Council
|
| Service/branch | Free Syrian Army |
| Years of service | 2012 |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | Syrian civil war |
Mustafa Al-Sheikh (Arabic: مصطفى أحمد الشيخ) (born 2 June 1957 in Atme, Idlib Governorate) 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.
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Wikipedia