Miqdad Fatiha
Miqdad Fatiha | |
|---|---|
| Native name | مقداد فتيحة |
| Nickname(s) | Abu Jaafar (Arabic: أبو جعفر) |
| Born | Jableh, Syria |
| Allegiance |  Ba'athist Syria |
| Branch |  Syrian Army |
| Unit | Republican Guard 25th Special Mission Forces Division |
| Battles / wars | |
Miqdad Louay Fatiha (Arabic: مقداد لُؤَيّ فتيحة, also transliterated as Muqdad Fatiha) is a former commander of the Republican Guard and head of the Coastal Shield Brigade, a Neo-Ba'athist[1] insurgent group which operates in Latakia Governorate.
Role during the Assad regime
[edit]Fatiha served in the Republican Guard as part of the 25th Special Mission Forces Division during the Syrian Civil War.[2][3] Multiple Arabic and Turkish sources accuse him of committing various crimes, including drug trafficking, torture,[4] kidnapping, bribery, and murder.[5][6]
He appeared in recordings during battles in the civil war, such as during the Deterrence of Aggression offensives, where he commentated on the course of battles and justified Syrian Arab Armed Forces (SAAF) military retreats.[7][8]
Post-Assad
[edit]On 6 February 2025, he declared the formation of the Coastal Shield Brigade in a recording in the mountains of Latakia Governorate in response to violations committed against Alawites, during which he threatened to attack the transitional government inside and outside the coastal governorates, while also calling for Alawites to "take arms" against president Ahmed al-Sharaa and to resist disarmament.[9][10] The Institute for the Study of War assessed that Fatiha had likely established the group "using resources and human networks developed under the Assad regime".[11]
On 21 February, Fatiha announced in a video clip that the Coastal Shield Brigade, Islamic Resistance Front in Syria, and Ghosts of the Spirit of Resistance Forces, an eastern Syria-based organization led by Abdul Hamid al-Shamali, would be cooperating to fight against "takfiri terrorist organizations" and the Syrian government.[12]
On 26 February 2025, during unrest and rioting in Qardaha, he made calls for disobedience, accompanied by some of his supporters, and was falsely attributed to have fled upon the arrival of military reinforcements in a video on social media.[5]
Fatiha's Coastal Shield Brigade participated in the March Western Syria clashes against the transitional government, along with other loyalist militias like the Military Council for the Liberation of Syria, led by Ghiath Dalla.[13][14]
A Syria TV report said that Fatiha has used former smuggling routes along the Lebanese border to move fighters and weapons into Syria, such as through Hakr al-Dahri.[1]
Personal life
[edit]He was born in the city of Jableh, Syria.[4]
Bodybuilding
[edit]Additionally, Fatiha is a bodybuilder, and he has participated in various bodybuilding events:
On 2 July 2021, Fatiha participated in the Aleppo Governorate Bodybuilding Championship for the "Classic" category (held in preparation for the Republic Bodybuilding Championship), placing 2nd in the 188 cm weight category.[15]
On 6 July 2021, Fatiha participated in the Republic Bodybuilding Championship at the al-Fayhaa Sports Complex in Damascus on the al-Jaish football club, placing 1st in the 95 kg weight category.[16]
On 2 October 2021, Fatiha participated in the Beach Master Bodybuilding Championship in the Assad City Sports Hall, Latakia, in which he placed 3rd in the 100+ kg weight category.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Assad loyalist Miqdad Fatiha using Lebanon for cross-border attacks on Syria". The New Arab. 12 March 2025. Archived from the original on 12 March 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
- ^ "Coastal Syria on edge: Al-Assad ally threatens renewed war". Shafaq News. 13 March 2025. Archived from the original on 13 March 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
- ^ "بروبوغاندا تحطمت بـ"ردع العدوان".. "الفرقة 25" من التشكيل والتهويل حتى الهزيمة النكراء". Shaam News Network (in Arabic). 11 December 2024. Archived from the original on 24 January 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ^ a b "مقاتل في "الحرس الجمهوري" يرد على منتقديه بتعذيب معتقل" [A fighter in the "Republican Guard" responds to critics of him torturing a detainee]. Enab Baladi (in Arabic). 20 September 2017. Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
- ^ a b "من هو مقداد فتيحة «مُشعل» تمرّد القرداحة: من الحرس الجمهوري إلى زعيم ميليشيا «درع الساحل»" [Who is Muqdad Fatiha, the "starter" of the Qardaha rebellion? From the Republican Guard to the leader of the "Coastal Shield" militia?]. Janoubia. 27 February 2025. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
- ^ Çelikkol, Burçin (7 February 2025). "Suriye'de eski rejimin kötü şöhretli komutanı silahlı örgüt kurdu" [In Syria, the notorious commander of the former regime formed an armed organization]. Samimi Haber (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 28 February 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
- ^ "من هو مقداد فتيحة مؤسس "درع الساحل" في سوريا؟" [Who is Muqdad Fatiha, founder of the "Coastal Shield" in Syria?]. Erem News (in Arabic). 7 March 2025. Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
- ^ "بروبوغاندامكرراً سيناريو حلب.. النظام ينكر وسط تخبط كبير في حماة وسط سوريا". Shaam News Network (in Arabic). 11 December 2024. Archived from the original on 1 December 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ^ ""لواء درع الساحل".. ميليشيا بقيادة مقداد فتيحة ضد الدولة (فيديو)" ["Coastal Shield Brigade"... a militia led by Miqdad Fatiha against the state (Video)]. Syria TV. 6 February 2025. Archived from the original on 14 February 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
- ^ "الإعلان عن تشكيل "لواء درع الساحل" في سوريا.. من هو متزعم التنظيم؟" الإعلان عن تشكيل "لواء درع الساحل" في سوريا.. من هو متزعم التنظيم؟ [Announcing the formation of the “Coastal Shield Brigade” in Syria.. Who is the leader of the organization?]. Erem News (in Arabic). 7 February 2025. Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ^ "Iran Update, February 6, 2025". Institute for the Study of War. 6 February 2025. Archived from the original on 7 February 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
- ^ Mumayiz, Sary; Malik, Hamdi (9 March 2025). "Uli al-Baas (Part 1): A New Islamic Resistance Front in Syria?". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Archived from the original on 10 March 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ "تحقيق استقصائي يكشف خفايا "لواء درع الساحل" وارتباطاته المشبوهة". Syria TV (in Arabic). 19 March 2025. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ al-Sahnawi, Diaa (8 March 2025). "غياث دلا.. ذراع ماهر الأسد الضاربة يعود عبر مجلسه الغامض". Al-Araby Al-Jadeed (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 8 March 2025. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ Juneid, Mahmoud (2 July 2021). "الشرطة يتصدر بطولة أجسام حلب "الكلاسيك"". Al-Jamahir (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ^ "اختتام بطولة الجمهورية لبناء الأجسام للدرجة الثانية" [The conclusion of the Republic's second-class bodybuilding championship]. Syrian Arab News Agency (in Arabic). 26 July 2021. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
- ^ al-Hakim, Milhem (2 October 2021). "دمشق تحمل لقب بطولة سيد الشاطئ لبناء الأجسام" [Damascus holds the title of Beach Master Bodybuilding Championship]. Al-Mokif Al-Riyadi (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.