After Being Fired: Decision to Exile Abu Amsha Outside Afrin

Abu Amsha, leader of the Suleyman Shah division, was exiled outside of Afrin for two years, according to al-Souria Net.

The arbitration committee charged with investigating the violations of the Suleyman Shah Division issued a decision banning its leader, Muhammad al-Jassem, nicknamed Abu Amsha, for a period of two Hijri years.

The committee said in a statement issued Tuesday that it decided to exile Abu Amsha and two of his cousins outside the Olive Branch operations area, for two Hijri years Hijri. This development comes after he was convicted of corruption.

The decision also fined the Suleyman Shah Division $5,000 to Abdul Rahman Astif Yassin in compensation for his appeal.

The tripartite committee charged with investigating the faction’s violations issued a decision last week to remove Abu Amsha from all tasks assigned to him, not to take up any post later. This comes “because of the proven claims, to spare the region the possibility of fighting, blood-shedding, and sedition” and to extend the isolation to leaders of the faction.

The decision came two months after the Committee followed and listened to testimonies in the Sheikh Hadid district of Afrin countryside.

The committee also questioned Abu Amsha, despite obstacles to its work and threats from faction leaders during the past period, it said in a statement.

The committee comprises three members of the Syrian Islamic Council, Abdul Alim Abdullah, Ahmed al-Alwan, and Muwaffaq al-Omar.

The Suleyman Shah (al-Amshat) Division is led by Mohammed al-Jassem, alias Abu Amsha, and his headquarters and influence are concentrated in the Afrin countryside, northwest of Aleppo.

The faction, which did not have the same current name when it was a small battalion operating in Hama countryside led by Abu Amsha, witnessed several movements between FSA factions, but the most prominent appearance of the faction was after the Turkish military operation Olive Branch in Afrin in 2018.

The faction faces several charges of violations in the areas where it operates in Afrin, including collecting royalties and olive oil from farmers, sharing their crops, seizing land, and so on.