Shu'bat al-Mukhabarat al-'Askariyya
Encyclopedia
Shu'bat al-Mukhabarat al-'Askariyya (Military Intelligence) is an intelligence service of Syria
. It was established in 1969; its predecessor was called Deuxième Bureau. It is headquartered at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Damascus.
The Mukhabarat is very influential in Syrian politics, and is controlled by the President. It is suspected of providing support to different radical groups. Additionally, the service monitors dissidents of the regime outside Syria. During the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, the Mukhabarat exercised political authority in Lebanon.
General
Assef Shawqat
, the brother-in-law of Bashar Al-Assad
, became director in 2005 replacing General Hassan Khalil. In 2011, military intelligence was headed by Abdel-Fatah Qudsiyeh who is from the Alawite sect. In May 2011, Gen Qudsiya was included in a list of Syrian officials subjected to EU sanctions for their roles in violence against protesters. Military Intelligence is said to have played a prominent role in the crackdown, firing on crowds of protesters and killing a large number of civilians. The US also imposed sanctions on Gen Qudsiya later that month, accusing his agency of using force against and arresting demonstrators participating in the unrest. He's a part Bashar al-Assad's inner circle.
(1973 - 2000)
Hassan Khalil (2000 - 2005)
Assef Shawkat (2005 - 2009)
Abdel-Fatah Qudsiyeh (2009 - present)
Political Security Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Directorate
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. It was established in 1969; its predecessor was called Deuxième Bureau. It is headquartered at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Damascus.
The Mukhabarat is very influential in Syrian politics, and is controlled by the President. It is suspected of providing support to different radical groups. Additionally, the service monitors dissidents of the regime outside Syria. During the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, the Mukhabarat exercised political authority in Lebanon.
General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Assef Shawqat
Assef Shawqat
General Assef Shawkat is the deputy Minister of Defense of Syria since September 2011. He is married to Bashar Assad's sister Bushra and is from the Sunni sect. He previously served as the army's deputy chief of staff from July 2009 to September 2011. He then bypassed the position of chief of...
, the brother-in-law of Bashar Al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.- Early Life :...
, became director in 2005 replacing General Hassan Khalil. In 2011, military intelligence was headed by Abdel-Fatah Qudsiyeh who is from the Alawite sect. In May 2011, Gen Qudsiya was included in a list of Syrian officials subjected to EU sanctions for their roles in violence against protesters. Military Intelligence is said to have played a prominent role in the crackdown, firing on crowds of protesters and killing a large number of civilians. The US also imposed sanctions on Gen Qudsiya later that month, accusing his agency of using force against and arresting demonstrators participating in the unrest. He's a part Bashar al-Assad's inner circle.
Heads of Military Intelligence
Ali DubaAli Duba
Ali Duba is a former head of the Syrian military intelligence and was a close adviser to the Syrian president Hafez al-Assad...
(1973 - 2000)
Hassan Khalil (2000 - 2005)
Assef Shawkat (2005 - 2009)
Abdel-Fatah Qudsiyeh (2009 - present)
Other Syrian intelligence agencies
General Security DirectorateGeneral Security Directorate (Syria)
The General Security Directorate is the most important civil intelligence service of Syria.- Organization :Its divisions are:*Division of Homeland Security*Division of External Security*Division of Palestinian Affairs...
Political Security Directorate
Political Security Directorate
Political Security Directorate is an intelligence service of Syria. It is active against the opposition. It runsdetention centres . It is divided into an Internal Security Department and an External Security Department. It monitors political dissent and registered parties are surveilled, too....
Air Force Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Directorate
The Air Force Intelligence is an intelligence service of Syria. Idarat al-Mukhabarat al-Jawiyya is possibly Syria's most powerful intelligence service, owing its importance to Hafez al-Assad's role as the Air Force commander....
External links
- Syria's Intelligence Services: A Primer, Middle East Intelligence Bulletin, July 2000.
- Syria's Intelligence Services: Origins and Development, Andrew Rathmell, J. Conflict Studies, 1996.
- Human Rights in Syria, James A. Paul, Middle East Watch, 1990.
- Syria's Intelligence Services, Agentura.