{"id":22285,"date":"2015-03-14T17:17:55","date_gmt":"2015-03-14T21:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?p=22285"},"modified":"2015-05-24T04:21:45","modified_gmt":"2015-05-24T08:21:45","slug":"the-death-of-muhammad-al-assad-a-k-a-shaykh-al-jabal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/the-death-of-muhammad-al-assad-a-k-a-shaykh-al-jabal\/","title":{"rendered":"The Killing of Muhammad al-Assad, a.k.a. “Shaykh al-Jabal”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MuhammadAssad2015_1\"The Killing of Muhammad al-Assad, a.k.a. “Shaykh al-Jabal”<\/strong>
\nBy: Mohammad D.
\nFor Syria Comment, March 14, 2015<\/p>\n

Muhammad Tawfiq al-Assad, a.k.a Shaykh al-Jabal, a well known second cousin of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was killed two days ago. He was the son of Tawfic al-Assad. His grandfather, Ismail al-Assad, was a half-brother of the late president Hafez al-Assad. Muhammad al-Assad, a.k.a Shaykh al-Jabal, was the best known and most feared member of the second generation of shabiha<\/em> that emerged from the al-Assad family in rural Latakia in the early 1980s. In his death announcement (Na’wa ????), he is listed as both a Doctor and Mujahid. He was 48 years old.<\/p>\n

His being given the honorific title “Mujahid” made people ask where and when Muhammad al-Assad, a.k.a Shaykh al-Jabal, was fighting. His supporters claimed that he was killed in the vicious battle underway in Doreen ?????, east of Latakia.<\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Battle of Doreen is\u00a0 important and has been heated for some time. The Syria Arab Army and National Defense Forces (al-Difa’ al-Watani) attacked recently and were able to achieve some success. The Hill of Doreen fell first, then Doreen itself. But since then it has become a tough back-and-forth slog against a coalition of rebel militias that include Jabhat al-Nusra and al-Jabha al-Islamiyah. The rebels are trying to retake the high ground and break through into the Alawite areas below Doreen. The high ground also allows for rockets to be fired at Latakia.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Regime Soldiers killed fighting Jabhat al-Nusra around Dorin in Latakia<\/p><\/div>\n

Doreen is a well known summer resort in the mountains next to Salma. It is a Sunni village and was held by the anti Assad groups for years. Salma is the biggest and only important stronghold left in the hands of the anti Assad forces East of Latakia in the Jabal al-Akrad region.<\/p>\n

Doreen is strategically important because it is a high point and puts Salma, a major rebel stronghold, under the guns of Assad forces. The fall of Salma would provide a major victory for al-Assad in the coastal areas. Thus, the battles are heated<\/a>. To put Muhammad al-Assad, a.k.a, Shaykh al-Jabal in the midst of this battle would mean that he was a Mujahid, as his death notice claims.<\/p>\n