Riad al-Asaad
Riad Mousa al-Asaad (Arabic pronunciation: [rijɑːdˤ muːsa ɐlʔæsʕæd]; Arabic: رياض موسى الأسعد, born 2 February 1961) is a Syrian military commander, politician who is the founding leader of the Free Syrian Army. One of the prominent faces of the Syrian Revolution, he led the armed resistance to the Assad regime as commander-in-chief of FSA, during the early phase of the Syrian Civil War. Under Riad al-Asaad's command, FSA expanded into a para-military force of 75,000 guerillas and insurgents in March 2012; capable of ousting regime forces from Damascus. He currently serves as the Deputy Prime Minister for Military Affairs of the Syrian Salvation Government, a position he has held since 2 November 2017. He was a former Colonel in the Syrian Air Force who defected to the opposition in July 2011 and became the first Acting Commander-in-chief of the Free Syrian Army.
Riad al-Asaad رياض موسى الأسعد | |
|---|---|
| Native name | رياض موسى الأسعد |
| Born | 2 February, 1961 (age 62–63) |
| Allegiance | Syria (1980–2011) Syrian National Coalition (2011–14) Syrian Salvation Government (Since 2017) |
| Service/ | Syrian Air Force (1980–2011) Free Syrian Army (2011–14) |
| Years of service | 1980–2014 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | Free Syrian Army |
| Battles/wars | Syrian Civil War |
A number of his family members were executed by the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Despite the similar English spelling of surname, it is a completely different surname, and he is not a member of, nor related with, Syria's ruling al-Assad family.