
SDF Facilitates Maher al-Assad’s Escape to Iraq
ARK News.. An Arab news outlet has revealed that a senior commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) facilitated the escape of Maher al-Assad, brother of the deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, from Syria to Iraq, with subsequent reports suggesting his relocation to Qandil, the stronghold of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
According to Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, credible sources confirmed that Maher al-Assad, the former commander of the elite "Fourth Division," was smuggled out of Syria’s Deir Ez-zour province into Iraq by Mohammad Ramadan, also known as "Al-Dib’i" (The Hyena), an SDF leader involved in smuggling operations.
The sources reported that Maher al-Assad was transported late on Saturday, December 7, 2024, from neighborhoods in Deir Ez-zour (Badia al-Shamiya) to the eastern bank of the Euphrates River (Badia al-Jazira). The operation, conducted by "Al-Dib’i," also included the smuggling of several Iranian militia leaders to the town of al-Shahil, a location near the Euphrates and Al-Dib’i’s hometown. From there, Maher was transported early Sunday morning to Baghdad, Iraq, accompanied by Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders.
The source further revealed that Maher al-Assad then traveled to the Sulaymaniyah region of Iraq's Kurdistan Region and eventually to the Qandil Mountains, where he is reportedly under the protection of PKK leaders.
In a related development, it was reported that "Al-Dib’i" fled to Sulaymaniyah a day after the smuggling operation. His close ties to the Fourth Division stemmed from long-standing smuggling networks along the Euphrates River between SDF-controlled areas and those under the Assad regime’s influence in eastern Deir Ez-zour.
The source disclosed that Maher al-Assad coordinated with SDF commanders in Deir Ez-zour two days before the SDF’s withdrawal to the eastern side of the Euphrates (Badia al-Jazira) on December 10, 2024. As part of the arrangement, the Fourth Division agreed to withdraw its forces, leaving behind all its heavy weaponry in the seven villages west of the river, including Al-Hussainiya, Al-Salihiya, Hatla, Marrat, Mazloum, Khasham, and Tabiya.
On December 9, the Fourth Division withdrew from these villages, abandoning their heavy and light weaponry in military headquarters and depots. The SDF then transferred these weapons—including tanks, artillery, rocket launchers, and ammunition—to its own territories east of the Euphrates. Notably, the SDF vacated Deir Ez-zour without resistance, handing over the city and its airport to a newly formed military administration.
On December 17, 2024, Al Arabiya Al-Hadath reported that Maher al-Assad was hosted by Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), in Sulaymaniyah. Maher later relocated to the Qandil Mountains, where he is now in the company of PKK leaders.
The report also revealed that Ali Mamlouk, the former head of Syria's National Security Bureau, arrived in Qandil after crossing into Iraq from Beirut.
These developments underscore the intricate alliances and shifting dynamics in the aftermath of the Assad regime's fall, with prominent figures seeking refuge and aligning with new regional actors.
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