At the end of February 2019, the regime’s Interior Minister, Major General Mohamed Rahmoun, issued a circular prohibiting units of his ministry from dealing with the economic and security arm of the Fourth Brigade and preventing them from receiving members of the Brigade at police stations.
The Ministry of Interior circular stated, “It is strictly forbidden to deal with the so-called Khader Taher bin Ali, his mother is Badia Wardi, born in Safita al-Sharqiya 15, May 1976. It is forbidden to communicate with him in any way, or to welcome him in the police stations or receive him for personal matters in all the police units.” The circular stressed that the commanders of the police units bear the same responsibility for implementing the decision
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The National Security Office supported Khader Taher in forming a faction working for Iran, which prompted the Russian-backed parties to pressure the interior minister into issuing a decision to prevent dealing with Khader, but the victory in this matter was in favour of the Iranian-backed party.
The document obtained by “Syria TV” shows the decision of the Ministry of Interior to renew the license of the Citadel Company for Protection, Guard, and Security Services, owned by Ahmed Ali Taher and Khader Ali Taher.
Did the Syrian regime arrest Abu Ali Khader or is the Fourth Division protecting him?
The source added from the Ministry of Interior that the aim of the establishment of Citadel Capital company is to establish a nucleus similar to the popular mobilization in Iraq so that it belongs to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The source confirmed that the head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization, Faleh al-Fayyad, met with a number of intelligence officers in March 2022 and among the attendees was Khader Taher al-Ali. The focus of the meeting was on supporting the Citadel Company with heavy equipment, raising the number of its members and expanding its points of distribution to include the eastern and southern regions of Syria.
By the end of 2013, Bashar al-Assad had issued Decree 55, which allows licensing of private security and protection services companies, in a surprising move because the regime considers the power and control of the security services an integral part of its structure. The decree opened the door to wide questions about the regime’s tendency to privatize the security sector. Here, the source from the Ministry of Interior confirms that the step was directed by Iran to facilitate the establishment of sectarian militias with a legal cover.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
