Sayf Balud

Sayf Balud
Sayf Balud
	Sayf Balud in 2013
Other name(s)	Sayf Abu Bakr (nom du guerre)
Nickname(s)	"The Turkmen commander"
Born	c. 1988; Bizaah, Aleppo Governorate, Syria
Allegiance	Syria (before 2011/12); Syrian opposition (from c. 2011/12); Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2013–2014; disputed)
Service/branch	Syrian Army; Free Syrian Army; Syrian National Army; Syrian Front for Liberation
Years of service	? – present
Rank	First Lieutenant (Syrian Army); Brigadier General (Hamza Division);
Unit	Abu Bakr Sadiq Brigades; Al-Tawhid Brigade; Hazzm Movement; Hamza Division
Battles/wars	Syrian Civil War Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016); Inter-rebel conflict; Operation Euphrates Shield; Operation Olive Branch; Northwestern Syria offensive (April–August 2019); 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Seyf Polat (also spelled Sayf Balud), also known by the alias Sayf Abu Bakr (Arabic: سيف أبو بكر), is a Syrian rebel leader who has fought for several armed opposition factions in the Syrian Civil War. Having served with the Free Syrian Army during the conflict's early stages, he reportedly joined the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in 2013, possibly as a spy for the Turkish intelligence. He defected from ISIL in 2014, and consequently became the commander of the CIA-supported Hazzm Movement and later the Hamza Division. In September 2021, he became the deputy leader of the Syrian Front for Liberation. As part of these groups, he has become an important ally of Turkey within the armed Syrian opposition. He also acts as the de facto military governor of al-Bab since 2017.

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