Sunday, July 22, 2012

Assad rebuilds fighting command, retaliates against Turkey

Assad rebuilds fighting command, retaliates against Turkey
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report July 22, 2012, 8:53 AM (GMT+02:00)

President Bashar Assad quickly recovered from the blow he suffered with the loss of his four top allies last Wednesday, July 18. Within 24 hours, he had put in place a new command for fighting the rebels headed by his younger brother Gen. Maher Assad, commander of the 4th Division, debkafile’s military and intelligence sources report exclusively. He also appointed Gen. Ali Mamloukh to head the General Security Service; Gen. Hafez Makhlouf, military commander of Damascus; and Gen. Ali Hassan, new chief of the Alawite Shabiha militia.

More:Assad rebuilds fighting command, retaliates against Turkey