Ali Aslan
Former Chief of the General Staff of the Syrian Army
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ali Aslan (Arabic: علي أصلان; born 1932) is a retired Syrian military officer. He served as chief of staff of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, and was a member of the Central Committee of the Ba'ath Party and a close confidant of the late Syrian president Hafez al-Assad.[2]
Bashar al-Assad
Ali Aslan | |
|---|---|
علي أصلان | |
Aslan in 2000 | |
| Chief of the General Staff of the Syrian Arab Army | |
| In office 1998–2002 | |
| President | Hafez al-Assad Bashar al-Assad |
| Preceded by | Hikmat al-Shihabi |
| Succeeded by | Hasan Turkmani |
| Military Advisor to the Presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic | |
| In office 2003–2023 | |
| President | Bashar al-Assad |
| Succeeded by | Ali Mamlouk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1932 (age 93–94) |
| Party | Ba'ath Party |
| Spouse | Almaza Kamel Hassan (d. 2024)[1] |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Second Syrian Republic (1954–1958) United Arab Republic (1958–1961) Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963) Ba'athist Syria (1963–2002) |
| Branch/service |  Syrian Army |
| Years of service | 1954–2002 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant general |
| Unit | 8th Infantry Brigade 1st Infantry Division 5th Mechanized Division 2nd Corps |
| Battles/wars | |
Aslan was not only considered to be powerful member of the late Hafez al-Assad's inner circle, but he was also regarded by outside observers as having significantly improved Syrian military readiness while operating under severe financial constraints.[3]
Early life
Aslan hails from an Alawite family which is part of the Kalbiyya tribe as Hafez al-Assad.[4] He was born in 1932.[5]
Career
Aslan commanded 5th mechanized infantry in 1973.[6]
At the beginning of the 1980s Aslan was deputy chief of staff and head of operations.[7]
After the death of Hafez al-Assad in 2000, a 9-member committee was formed to oversee the transition period, and Aslan was among its members.[8] In addition, he became a member of the Baath Party's central committee in the Summer of 2000.[9][10] Aslan was one of the senior officials, who contributed to secure the rule of Bashar al-Assad.[11] However, he was relieved from his post as chief of staff by Bashar al-Assad in January 2002, as part of the younger president's program of reform[2] and after reported clashes with Assef Shawkat[12] regarding personnel changes.[3] Aslan was replaced by his then deputy, Hassan Turkmani.[3] Aslan was later appointed military advisor to the president.[13] In June 2005, Aslan was removed from the central committee of the Baath Party, and he retired from politics.[14][15]
His nephew Qusay was married to Bashar al-Assad's cousin, Falak Jamil, but they divorced.[16]
Honours
National honours
Syria:
Order of Civil Merit (Excellent class) (2021)[17]
