Essam al-Buwaydhani
Essam al-Buwaydhani | |
|---|---|
| Native name | عصام البويضاني |
| Born | 1971 (age 54–55) |
| Allegiance | Syrian opposition (until 2024) Syria (since 2025) |
| Branch | Jaysh al-Islam (until 2025) Syrian Army (since 2025) |
| Unit | 70th Division (since 2025) |
| Conflicts | |
Essam al-Buwaydhani (also rendered as Issam Bouidani[1]), better known by his kunya Abu Hammam (Arabic: أبو همام البويضاني) is a Syrian military officer and former rebel leader. He was reportedly born in Douma and was a businessman by profession.[2] He was elected leader of Jaysh al-Islam after Zahran Alloush, the previous leader of the group, was killed in a Syrian Air Force air strike in December 2015.[3]
Following the fall of the Assad regime, Buwaydhani and other rebel leaders, met with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham head Ahmed al-Sharaa in December 2024 at a conference in Damascus, where they agreed to dissolve their factions.[4] Buwaydhani then became an official in the Ministry of Defense.[5]
He was appointed by the transitional government to lead the 70th Division of the Syrian Army, which operates in the eastern Rif Dimashq Governorate.[1][6][7]
On 24 April 2025, Buwaydhani was arrested at Dubai International Airport while exiting the United Arab Emirates. He was reported to have entered the country for private reasons using a Turkish passport.[5][7]
On 22 September 2025, the family of Buwaydhani, along with a group of citizens, held a protest in front of the United Arab Emirates embassy in Damascus, calling for his release following his detention several months earlier at an airport in the UAE.[8][9]
References
- ^ a b Shapira, Boaz (6 August 2025). "The New Syrian Army- Senior Officials with Jihadist Background". Alma Research and Education Center. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
- ^ "Issam al-Buwaydani, known as Abu Hammam, the newly elected head of the Jaish al-Islam (Islam Army) Syrian rebel group, speaks during a gathering for the group on December 26, 2015, in the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern edges of the Syrian capital Damascus. Buwaydani, a 40-year-old businessman and fighter from Douma, was elected to replace Zahran Alloush just hours after the group's chief was killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights". Getty Images. 26 December 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ "Syrian rebels name successor to slain commander". The Times of Israel. 26 December 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ "Sharaa Meets Leaders of Military Factions, Agree to Integrate Them Under Ministry of Defense". Syria TV. The Syrian Observer. 25 December 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Syria group says military chief arrested in UAE". France 24. 28 April 2025.
- ^ "New Syrian Army's Senior Officials Linked to Jihadist Ideologies, Raising Concerns". The Syrian Observer. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
- ^ a b "الإمارات تعتقل قياديا بارزا في وزارة الدفاع السورية.. قائد "جيش الإسلام" سابقا". عربي21 (in Arabic). 26 April 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
- ^ ليبيا |, عين (22 September 2025). "الرئيس السوري يثير تفاعلاً واسعاً.. وقفة بدمشق تطالب بالإفراج عن «قائد جيش الإسلام»". عين ليبيا | آخر أخبار ليبيا (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 October 2025.
- ^ "وقفة أمام السفارة الإماراتية بدمشق للمطالبة بالإفراج عن القائد العام لجيش الإسلام عصام بويضاني". تحت المجهر (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 October 2025.