Ali Mamlouk

Ali Mamlouk
علي مملوك
Deputy Vice President for Security Affairs
Assumed office
9 July 2019
PresidentBashar al-Assad
Prime MinisterImad Khamis
Hussein Arnous
Preceded byMohammed Nasif Kheirbek
Special Security and Military Advisor to the Presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic
Assumed office
18 January 2024
PresidentBashar al-Assad
Preceded byAli Aslan
Director of the National Security Bureau of
the Regional Command
In office
25 July 2012 – 9 July 2019
Regional Secretary
Deputy		Bashar al-Assad
Abdel-Fatah Qudsiyeh
Preceded byHisham Ikhtiar
Succeeded byMohammed Dib Zaitoun
Director of the General Security Directorate
In office
June 2005 – July 2010
PresidentBashar al-Assad
Preceded byHisham Ikhtiar
Succeeded byZouheir Hamad
Personal details
Born (1946-02-19) 19 February 1946 (age 78)
Damascus, Syria
Political partySyrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party
NicknameAbu Ayham
Military service
AllegianceSyria Syria
Branch/serviceSyrian Armed Forces
Years of service1970s–2005
Rank Major General
CommandsGeneral Security Directorate (2005–2010)
National Security Bureau (2012–2019)

Ali Mamlouk (Arabic: علي مملوك; born 19 February 1946) is a Syrian spymaster, special security and military adviser to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is one of his most trusted men.[1] Between 2012 and 2019, Mamlouk was also head of the National Security Bureau of the Ba'ath Party. On 9 July 2019, Mamlouk was appointed as the Syrian Deputy Vice-President for Security Affairs.[2][3]

Early life

Ali Mamlouk was born in Al-Bahsa, Damascus into a Sunni–Circassian family on 19 February 1946.[4][5] There is another report giving his birth year as 1945.[6] His family is originally from İskenderun (Hatay, Turkey).[7] His family history goes back to Ahmed Pasha Al-Mamlouk a hundred years ago, who is buried in the Al-Mamlouk family graves in Al-Dahdah cemetery in Damascus.[8] His family also has branches in Lebanon, Palestine and Egypt.

Career

Mamlouk is said to be one of the founding officers of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence in the 1970s. He was deputy director there,[6][9] when in June 2005 President Bashar al-Assad appointed him head of the General Security Directorate.[10] In 2010, Gen. Mamlouk discussed efforts to increase co-operation between Washington, D.C. and Damascus on terrorism issues at a surprise meeting with US diplomats. He said the GID had been more successful at fighting terrorism in the region because "we are practical and not theoretical".[11]

Mamlouk was said to be on good terms with all of Syria's intelligence agencies; the heads of the Air Force Intelligence Directorate and the Political Security Directorate were once his assistants.[7] In July 2012 following the Damascus security HQ bombing, it was reported that Mamlouk would become the head of the National Security Bureau with the rank of minister overseeing the entire security apparatus, and that former military intelligence chief Abdel-Fatah Qudsiyeh would become his assistant.[12][13]

Syrian Civil War

Mamlouk is one of many officials sanctioned by the European Union for their alleged actions against protesters participating in the Syrian revolution.[14][15][16] His agency had "repressed internal dissent, monitored individual citizens, and had been involved in the Syrian government's Siege of Daraa, where protesters were killed by Syrian security services".[7] In addition, he was added to the European Union's sanction list on 9 May 2011 on the grounds that he "involved in violence against demonstrators" during the war.[5] Swiss government also put him into sanction list in September 2011.[17] On 23 April 2012, the US government imposed sanctions on him, saying he had been responsible for human rights abuses, including the use of violence against civilians.[18]

In August 2012, Ali Mamlouk was accused of trying to blow up the situation in Lebanon in agreement with Lebanese Minister Michel Samaha, who admitted to transporting explosives in his car to carry out assassinations of a list of people in agreement with Syria.[19][20] Samaha with the help of the former Lebanese Security Chief Jamil Al Sayyed "tried to carry out assassination" of Samir Geagea, Saad Hariri and Wissam al-Hassan.[21]

In May 2015, concern mounted regarding Mamlouk's whereabouts and health after not having been seen for some time, leading to comparisons with Rustum Ghazaleh who recently met a violent and unclear death.[22] In July 2015, Mamlouk visited Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Muscat in Oman and met with Saudi and GCC officials to discuss proposals for ending the Syrian Civil War.[23] In August 2015, Mamlouk visited Cairo and met President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, senior security officials. Mamlouk and his Egyptian counterparts reportedly discussed the fight against Islamic State, and against other Islamist factions, including the Muslim Brotherhood.[24]

In 2018, Maj. Gen. Mamlouk made a rare visit to Cairo to meet with his Egyptian counterpart, Abbas Kamel, director of the GIS with discussing “political, security and counterterrorism issues”.[25] Between 2021 and 2023, he held meetings with Saudi intelligence chief Khalid bin Ali Al Humaidan, the first such since the outbreak of the civil war.[26] On 18 January 2024, President Bashar al-Assad appointed Mamlouk as a special security advisor and deputy vice president of the Syrian Arab Republic for security and military affairs.[27][2]

Criminal investigations

On 11 August 2012, Lebanon indicted Ali Mamlouk in absentia and former Lebanese Information Minister Michel Samaha for their alleged plots to assassinate Lebanese political and religious figures.[28] Lebanese judicial officials issued a warrant for Mamlouk's arrest on 4 February 2013.[29]

In November 2018, French prosecutors issued international arrest warrants for three senior Syrian intelligence and government officials: Ali Mamlouk, Abdel Salam Mahmoud and Jamil Hassan. The warrants bring charges including collusion in torture, forced disappearances, crimes against humanity and war crimes.[30]

References

  1. ^ "Relations of Bashar Assad". France 24. Archived from the original on 4 June 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  2. ^ a b Ibrahim Hamidi (24 January 2024). "Is al-Assad about to have his very own 'Sadat Moment'?". Al Majalla. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  3. ^ Paul Khalifeh (17 July 2019). "Syria war: Why did Assad restructure the military-security apparatus?". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Who's who: Government: Ali Mamlouk". The Syrian Observer. 3 January 2013. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  5. ^ a b "List of natural and legal persons". Official Journal of the EU. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Who is Ali Mamlouk indicted by the Lebanese Judiciary?". LBC. 11 August 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  7. ^ a b c "Bashar al-Assad's inner circle". BBC. 18 May 2011.
  8. ^ دمشق ، باريس 19 حزيران / يونيو 2005_اللواء علي مملوك : Archived 2017-05-21 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Kaphie, Anud (18 July 2012). "Who's who in Bashar al-Assad's inner circle?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  10. ^ Phares, Robert G. Rabil; foreword by Walid (2006). Syria, the United States, and the war on terror in the Middle East. Westport (Conn.): Praeger security international. p. 215. ISBN 9780275990152.{cite book}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Bashar al-Assad's inner circle". BBC News. 12 August 2012.
  12. ^ New chief named in security reshuffle Oman Daily Observer, 25 July 2012
  13. ^ "Rustom Ghazali Named Chief of Political Security". Naharnet. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  14. ^ Syria's Assad 'reshuffles security chiefs' UPI, 21 October 2010
  15. ^ List of 13 Syrian officials blacklisted by the EU Archived 12 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Youkal Retrieved 21 July 2012 (Arabic)
  16. ^ State funeral for three Syrian officials as Assad’s inner circle shrinks Archived 9 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Daily Star 21 July 2012
  17. ^ "Ordinance instituting measures against Syria" (PDF). Federal Department of Economy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  18. ^ Jeremy M. Sharp; Christopher M. Blanchard (6 September 2013). "Armed Conflict in Syria: Background and U.S. Response" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  19. ^ "Lebanon military court seeks death penalty for Samaha, Mamlouk". Middle East Online. 20 February 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  20. ^ من هو علي مملوك؟؟ Archived 2018-01-03 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ "Gemayel says Hassan killing linked to Samaha case, Syria". NOW Lebanon. 21 October 2012. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  22. ^ "Syria denies rumors on National Security chief". TDS. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  23. ^ Bowen, Andrew; McInnis, J. Matthew (17 August 2015). "The Saudi-Syrian Back Channel to End the War". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  24. ^ Egypt said to renew diplomatic relations with Assad
  25. ^ Syria intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk makes rare visit to Cairo
  26. ^ "Meeting between Saudi and Syrian intelligence chiefs hints at detente". The Guardian. 4 May 2021.
  27. ^ ترفيع علي مملوك وكفاح ملحم المصنفين ضمن قائمة العقوبات الأمريكية
  28. ^ Mroue, Bassem (4 February 2013). "Lebanon Issues Arrest Warrant for Syrian Official". ABC News. Beirut. AP. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  29. ^ "Lebanon issues warrant for Syrian spy chief". Al Jazeera English. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  30. ^ "France issues arrest warrants for senior Syrian officials“ Reuters November 2018