Riad al-Asaad

Riad al-Asaad
رياض موسى الأسعد
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/branch	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

Riad Mousa al-Asaad (Arabic pronunciation: [rijɑːdˤ muːsa ɐlʔæsʕæd]; Arabic: رياض موسى الأسعد, born 2 February 1961) is a Syrian military officer and politician who is the founding leader of the Free Syrian Army.^[2]^[3] One of the prominent faces of the Syrian Civil War, 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 paramilitary force of 75,000 guerillas and insurgents in March 2012; capable of ousting regime forces from Damascus.^[4] 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.^[5] 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.^[6]

A number of his family members were executed by the regime of Bashar al-Assad.^[7] 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.

^ "Political Resolution on the Crisis in Syria is Impossible". Turkish Weekly. 10 August 2012. Archived from the original on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
^ Holliday, Joseph (March 2012). "Syria's Armed Opposition" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Middle East Security Report 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2014. (Pages 6, 14–17.)
^ Alsaleh, Asaad (2021). "As'ad, Riyad Al- (1961-)". Historical Dictionary of the Syrian Uprising and Civil War. London, UK: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 66–68. ISBN 9781538120774.
^ Alsaleh, Asaad (2021). "As'ad, Riyad Al- (1961-)". Historical Dictionary of the Syrian Uprising and Civil War. London, UK: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 66–68. ISBN 9781538120774.
^ Sen, Ashish (5 October 2011). "U.N. veto called green light for Assad". The Washington Times. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
^ Sly, Liz (25 September 2011). "In Syria, defectors form dissident army in sign uprising may be entering new phase". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
^ "Families of Syrian rebels killed in their homes, says UN". The Independent. 24 May 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2014.

[vor-1] "Political Resolution on the Crisis in Syria is Impossible". Turkish Weekly. 10 August 2012. Archived from the original on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.

[2] Holliday, Joseph (March 2012). "Syria's Armed Opposition" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Middle East Security Report 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2014. (Pages 6, 14–17.)

[3] Alsaleh, Asaad (2021). "As'ad, Riyad Al- (1961-)". Historical Dictionary of the Syrian Uprising and Civil War. London, UK: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 66–68. ISBN 9781538120774.

[4] Alsaleh, Asaad (2021). "As'ad, Riyad Al- (1961-)". Historical Dictionary of the Syrian Uprising and Civil War. London, UK: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 66–68. ISBN 9781538120774.

[Sen-5] Sen, Ashish (5 October 2011). "U.N. veto called green light for Assad". The Washington Times. Retrieved 6 October 2011.

[Sly-6] Sly, Liz (25 September 2011). "In Syria, defectors form dissident army in sign uprising may be entering new phase". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 October 2011.

[7] "Families of Syrian rebels killed in their homes, says UN". The Independent. 24 May 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]