Manaf Tlass
| Manaf Tlass مناف طلاس |
|
|---|---|
| Birth name | Manaf Mustafa Tlass |
| Born | 1964 (age 52–53) Rastan, Syria |
| Allegiance |
 Syria
|
| Service/branch |
 Syrian Arab Army
|
| Years of service | until 3 July 2012 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
|
| Unit | Republican Guard |
| Commands held | 104th brigade |
| Battles/wars |
Syrian Civil War Rif Dimashq clashes (November 2011–March 2012) |
| Relations |
Mustafa Tlass (father) Firas Tlass (brother) Nahed Tlass Ojjeh (Sister) Abdul Razzaq Tlass (cousin) |
Manaf Tlass or Manaf Tlas (Arabic: مناف طلاس; born 1964) is a former Brigadier General of the Syrian Republican Guard and member of Bashar al-Assad's inner circle who defected in 2012.
Tlass was born in Rastan in 1964. He is the son of the former Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass and Lamia Al Jabiri, a member of an aristocratic Aleppo family. His father is of Circassian and Turkish origin. Businessman Firas Tlass is his elder brother. The Tlass family was the most famous Sunni family in Syria, known for supporting the government. On the other hand, the members of his family worked for the Ottoman suzerains as well as French occupiers after the First World War.
Tlass was a close friend of Basil Assad, Hafez Assad's eldest son and heir apparent until his death in a 1994 car accident. He later became close to Bashar Assad, having attended military college with Assad, Bashar Assad regarded the Tlass brothers as peers and friends.
After Hafez Assad's death in 2000, Tlass became Bashar Assad's right-hand-man. He also became a member of the central committee of the Baath Party in 2000. He was also regarded as a potential candidate for leadership in future years. In June 2005, Tlass was reelected to the central committee of the Baath Party.
Tlass tried to help Bashar Assad increase his base of support by introducing him to members of the Sunni merchant class. Tlass also advocated reform as early as 2005, but he stressed that Assad was the best hope for reform. Tlass had also reportedly held unsuccessful talks with the Syrian opposition during the 2011 Syrian uprising.
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Wikipedia