Mustafa Al-Sheikh

Mustafa Ahmad al-Sheikh is a Syrian former military officer and rebel commander who was the founder and head of the Free Syrian Army's Higher Military Council in 2012, during the Syrian Civil War.

Biography Early life and service in the Syrian Army Mustafa Ahmad al-Sheikh was born in the village of Atme, in the Idlib Governorate in northwestern Syria, on 2 June 1957. In 1976, Sheikh joined a Syrian Armed Forces military academy and graduated in 1979 with the rank of lieutenant. He served in the Syrian Army as a battalion commander, and was a member of the Arab Deterrent Force in Tripoli, Lebanon between 1979 and 1983. Following the end of the ADF's mandate in Lebanon, Sheikh was transferred to the Syrian Army's northern command as a security officer, a position he maintained until his defection in December 2011.

On 5 February 2012, Mustafa al-Sheikh announced the formation of the Supreme Revolutionary Military Council for the Liberation of Syria. This move was condemned by the Free Syrian Army. Colonel Riad al-Asaad, commander of the FSA, rejected Sheikh's formation and stated that Sheikh "represents himself. He has nothing to do with the Free Syrian Army."

Despite his previous disputes with the FSA and Col. Riad al-Asaad, Sheikh and Asaad jointly announced the formation of the Higher Military Council, under the leadership of the Free Syrian Army, on 24 March 2012.

Al-Sheikh stated that "We want very urgent intervention, outside of the security council due to the Russian veto. We want a coalition similar to what happened in Kosovo and the Ivory Coast." In another interview in November 2012, Sheikh warned "If there’s no quick decision to support us, we will all turn into terrorists."

Sheikh opposes the Muslim Brotherhood of Syria. He was not present during a meeting of rebel leaders, most of them Sunni Islamists, in December 2012 in Antalya. The meeting established the Supreme Military Council, and Brig. Gen. Salim Idris was appointed as its chief of staff.

Post-military activities In November 2013, it was reported that al-Sheikh and his son had applied for political asylum in Sweden.

In January 2017, Mustafa al-Sheikh visited Moscow and met Mihhail Bogdanov, the deputy foreign minister of Russia. Sheikh praised the Russian military intervention in Syria, saying that "The intervention of Russia is different from the intervention of the rest of parties involved [that] have other agendas. Russia is a great nation and doesn't need to occupy Syria", and "Aleppo became safe haven. I personally hope that [Russia] enters, in the same way it did Aleppo, all other regions [in Syria]." His visit and statements in Russia were condemned by other former FSA commanders, including Col. Hassan Hamada. Riad al-Asaad once again denounced Sheikh and claimed that they were enemies from the start, accusing Sheikh of being an agent for the Syrian government.

Khaled al-Halabi, another brigadier general in the Syrian Army who served between 2009 and 2013, was granted asylum in Austria with assistance from Mossad in 2015 despite his record of war crimes and crimes against humanity including torture and sexual violence. Al-Sheikh, who described al-Halabi as his "best friend", denied these charges and defended al-Halabi as "one of the best people in the Syrian revolution".