Ahmad Suwaydani

Ahmad al-Suwaydani (1932–1994) was the Syrian Army's chief of staff in February 1966– February 1968. Before that he had been the chief of military intelligence in 1963–1965 and the head of the bureau of military personnel in 1965–1966.^[1] He was dismissed and imprisoned for suspicions of plotting a coup in 1968. In 1994 he was released and died shortly after.

Ahmad Suwaydani
Chief of Staff
In office February 1966 – February 1968
Head of Bureau of Military Personnel
In office 1965–1966
Chief of Military Intelligence
In office 1963–1965
Personal details
Born	1932 Nawa, Izra District, French Mandate of Syria
Died	1994 Baathist Syria
Political party	Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party
Alma mater	Homs Military Academy
Military service
Rank	Major-General

Early life

Ahmad was born in 1932 in Nawa.^[2] He belonged to the Bani Suwaydan, a Sunni Muslim clan of the Hauran. In the 17th century, before the town of Suwayda had become a predominantly Druze center, the headmen of the town often hailed from the Bani Suwaydan. Ahmad's father was a peasant, relatively better off than most of the peasants of Nawa and part of the village's notable class.^[3]

Military career

Ahmad graduated from the Homs Military Academy and joined the Ba'ath Party.^[4] In 1963–1965, he served as the chief of military intelligence. head of the bureau of military personnel.^[1] During this time he helped finance and provide arms to the Palestinian armed movement Fatah, cooperating particularly with Yasser Arafat and Salah Khalaf (Abu Iyad).^[5]

In 1965 he also became head of the bureau of military personnel. He allied with Syria's military strongman Salah Jadid and participated in the 1966 Syrian coup d'etat which installed Nureddin al-Atassi as president. Ahmad was then appointed by Jadid as chief of staff. He held the office during Syria's defeat by Israel in the Six Day War of 1967. Suwaydani was accused of incompetence by Defense Minister Hafez al-Assad while Jadid suspected Suwaydani of attempting to overthrow him. Jadid consequently dismissed Suwaydani in February 1968.^[5]

Arrest and imprisonment

During a flight he was taking from Baghdad to Cairo in July 1969, his plane was forced to take an emergency landing by the Syrian authorities in Damascus, whereupon he was arrested. Afterward, all his loyalists from the Hauran were dismissed from the officer corps.^[6][5] He remained imprisoned through the presidency of Hafez al-Assad until his release in February 1994. He died soon after during the same year.^[5]