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Rifaat AsadCommander of the defensive brigades
Country:
 Syria |
Content:
Rifat al-Assad: A Controversial Syrian Commander
Early Life and CareerRifat al-Assad was born in 1937. Despite earning a doctorate in political and economic sciences from Damascus University and pursuing education abroad, he chose a military career. In the '70s and early '80s, he commanded the elite Defensive Brigades of the Syrian army.
Commander of Defensive Brigades
During his tenure as commander, Rifat gained a reputation as a ruthless leader. In 1982, he oversaw a crackdown on Islamic fundamentalists in Hama, resulting in the deaths of over 10,000 people. He was also implicated in the brutal massacre of Sunni Muslims at the Palmyra prison in 1980.
Exile and Return
In 1983, when President Hafez al-Assad suffered a heart attack, a six-person committee was formed to govern during his illness. Rifat was excluded, sparking armed clashes between his 55,000-strong Defensive Brigades and the army. He subsequently left Syria.
In 1984, Hafez al-Assad appointed Rifat as vice president. In 1994, troops loyal to Rifat entered Damascus with tanks, but the attempted coup failed. Rifat once again went into exile, settling in Paris, but he has openly expressed his desire to return to Syria.
