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A Turkish al-Qaeda operative, previously used as an asset by Turkish intelligence agency MIT to influence the Syrian civil war, has been appointed as a general in the newly restructured Syrian army following last month’s takeover of Damascus by the jihadist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies.
Ömer Çiftçi, known by his nom de guerre Muhtar Turk or Mukhtar al-Turki, was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the Syrian army, announced by the Ministry of Defense’s General Military Command on December 28 in Resolution No. 8, which elevated five senior jihadist figures to this rank.
Çiftçi was granted Syrian citizenship and listed in the resolution under the name of Umar Mohammed Jaftashi, with the General Military Command justifying the promotions as crucial for safeguarding religion and the homeland.
This 45-year-old Turkish jihadist, born in Turkey’s Osmaniye province, began his militant career in Afghanistan in 2004 and has since become a key enabler of HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (aka Abu Mohammed al-Jolani) in the Syrian conflict.
He was wanted in Turkey due to his affiliation with al-Qaeda and is the subject of ongoing criminal investigations. The Turkish Interior Ministry listed him in the highest-priority “red category” on its most-wanted list, displaying his name and photo and offering a reward for information leading to his arrest….