JAYSH AL-ISLAM LEADER STEALS TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND RESIGNS

Mohammed Alloush

Mohammed Alloush has stolen a sum of $47m from Jaysh al-Islam before resignation from his position as the group’s political leader, the Iranian news agency Fars reported on May 5.

The report said that Alloush is currently using the stolen money to run trade activities in Turkey, where he has been living for the past few years.

Alloush announced his resignation from Jaysh al-Islam on May 3 claiming that he had taken this decision to give the youth of the opposition a chance to lead the “revolutionary and political action.” However, most Syrian opposition activists were not convinced by Alloush’s claim.

Many Syrian pro-government activists believe that Alloush’s decision is a result of the humiliating defeat of Jaysh al-Islam in the Eastern Ghouta region battle. One of the main results of the defeat was the end of the financial support for Jaysh al-Islam, which could be the real motive behind Alloush’s decision.

Many leaders of Jaysh al-Islam had been accused of corruption over the last few years. Mohamad’s older brother Zahran Alloush, the founder of Jaysh al-Islam, was accused by other armed groups in the Eastern Ghouta of stealing more than $12mln back in 2015 months before he was assassinated by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).

The high level of corruption in Jaysh al-Islam was among the main reasons that led to its fast defeat in Eastern Ghouta, according to observers, who doubt that the armed group will ever recover from that failure.

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