Riad al-Asaad
| Riad Mousa al-Asaad رياض موسى الأسعد |
|
|---|---|
| Native name | رياض موسى الأسعد |
| Born | 1961 (age 55–56) |
| Allegiance |
 Syria (1980–2011)
 Syrian National Coalition (2011–present)
|
| Service/branch |
 Syrian Air Force (1980–2011)
Free Syrian Army (2011–present)
|
| Years of service | 1980–present |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | Free Syrian Army |
| Battles/wars | Syrian civil war |
Riad Mousa al-Asaad (Arabic pronunciation: [rijɑːdˤ muːsa ɐlʔæsʕæd]; Arabic: رياض موسى الأسعد, born 1961) was the commander of the Free Syrian Army. He was a former Colonel in the Syrian Air Force who defected in July 2011.
His family members were victims of execution by Bashar al-Assad's forces.
Following the outbreak of violence in Syria in March 2011, Colonel Riad al-Asaad had announced his defection from the Syrian Air Force on the 4th of July 2011. He initially joined the Free Officers Movement after this defection.
On the 29th of July 2011, al-Assad along with other defectors declared the establishment of the Free Syrian Army, with the intention of fighting an insurgent war to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad.
Colonel Asaad opposes any exile solution for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, and seeks for fighting until his government is overthrown.
On 22 September 2012, the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) announced that it had moved its command centre from Turkey to "liberated areas" inside Syria.
In November 2012, in order to get more support from Saudi Arabia, the FSA leadership was still planning to move into Syria, a FSA general al-Sheikh said. The same general falsely claimed that the FSA moved its centre in Syria in September 2012.
After UN military observers entered Syria, al-Asaad announced a ceasefire for all forces, committed to the Kofi Annan peace plan for Syria. However, after a few days he has reannounced continuation of attacks led by rebels because the government of Bashar al-Assad, according to him, did not make peace as promised. On 31 May 2012, al-Asaad urged Kofi Annan to scrap his peace plan which he claims failed.
Colonel Kasim Saaduddin, a member of the FSA, stated that al-Asaad does not have control over the Free Syrian Army, which al-Asaad himself denied in the interview.
On 8 December 2012, in Antalya, Turkey, Asaad was replaced by Brigadier General Salim Idris as effective military commander of the Free Syrian Army.
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Wikipedia