Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir al-Noeimi ( ar, عبد الإله البشير النعيمي) is the former

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) of the

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA) ( ar, الجيش السوري الحر, al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a loose faction in the Syrian Civil War founded on 29 July 2011 by officers of the Syrian Armed Forces with the goal of bringing down the governm ...

. He was succeeded by Albay Ahmed Berri in October 2014.

Background

Noeimi comes from a large Arab tribe called the al-Noeim. The tribe is spread across the Middle East, and is prominent in the villages of the Golan Heights and the Quneitra countryside. Prior to the Syrian Civil War, Noeimi served as a career officer in the Syrian Army where he was Brigadier General.

Syrian Civil War

Noeimi defected from the Syrian Army on 13 July 2012, alongside several other officers from the Noeimi tribe, including Saleh Al-Hammada Al-Noeimi, and Hashem Al-Bashir Al-Noeimi. He was later appointed Chief of the FSA Military Council in

Quneitra , ''Qunayṭrawi'' or ''Qunayṭirawi'' , population_density_metro_sq_mi = , population_urban = , population_density_urban_km2 = , population_density_urban_sq_mi = , population_blank1_title = , population_bla ...

. Noeimi has called for support from the European Union and the United States, either through the supply of weapons, or through direct military intervention. Noeimi has also met with Iranian opposition groups such as the MEK, and has expressed his support for the overthrow of the Iranian government and the

velayat-e faqih The Guardianship or Governance/''Wilāyat'' of/by an Islamic Jurist/''Faqīh'' ( fa, , Velâyat-e Faqih; ar, وِلاَيَةُ ٱلْفَقِيهِ, Wilāyat al-Faqīh), is a concept in Twelver Shia Islamic law which holds that until the re ...

style of governance. His son, Talal, was killed during clashes with the Syrian Army in the Quneitra countryside, on 26 November 2013. Noeimi was appointed to the position of Chief of Staff on 16 February 2014, taking over from Salim Idris. His appointment was confirmed by the FSA on 8 March 2014. Colonel Heitham Afeisi, a co-founder of the Syria Revolutionaries Front and the Commander of the Maarat al-Naaman Martyrs Brigade, was appointed as Noeimi's deputy. The United States has sidelined Noeimi's office, and American officials have called his title a "business card".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noeimi, Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir Living people Syrian generals Defectors to the Free Syrian Army Year of birth missing (living people)