The Damascus government appointed Ahmad al-Hayis, the mercenary leader responsible for the assassination of Hevrin Khalaf, Secretary General of the Future Syria Party, as the commander of the 86th Division.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense in Damascus has appointed Ahmad al-Hayis (Hatim Abu Shaqra), the mercenary leader who ordered the assassination of Future Syria Party Secretary General Hevrin Khalaf (Hevrîn Xelef), as the head of the 86th Division. The appointment of Shaqra, who was accused of committing war crimes by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has sparked outrage among Kurds.
Ahmad Ihsan Fayad al-Hayis, a prominent commander within the Ahrar al-Sharqiya mercenaries, was responsible for the assassination of Hevrin Khalaf and her driver, Ferhad Ramadan, in October 2019.
In 2021, the United States Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Hatim Abu Shaqra and several members of the Ahrar al-Sharqiya mercenaries for human rights violations, including the mass killing of hundreds of civilians held in a prison.
The department cited crimes such as the abduction of Yazidi women and children and the integration of Islamic State (ISIS) fighters into the ranks of Ahrar al-Sharqiya.
