Kifah Moulhem

Kifah Moulhem (Arabic: كفاح ملحم; born 28 November 1961) was the director of the Syrian National Security Bureau of the Ba'ath Party and a close adviser of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad prior to the collapse of Ba'athist Syria.^[1] He is one of many officials sanctioned by the European Union for their actions against protesters participating in the Syrian civil war.^[2][3]

Kifah Moulhem
كفاح ملحم
Director of the National Security Bureau of the Regional Command
In office 18 January 2024 – 8 December 2024
General Secretary Deputy	Bashar al-Assad Abdel-Fatah Qudsiyeh
Preceded by	Mohammed Dib Zaitoun
Director of Military Intelligence Directorate
In office 25 March 2019 – 18 January 2024
Preceded by	Mohamed Mahala
Succeeded by	Kamal Hassan
Personal details
Born	(1961-11-28) 28 November 1961 (age 63) Junaynet Ruslan, Tartus Governorate, Syria
Political party	Ba'ath Party
Military service
Allegiance	Ba'athist Syria
Branch/service	Syrian Arab Army
Years of service	1980–2024
Rank	Major General
Unit	Mechanized Infantry Military Intelligence
Commands	Republican Guard (1980-1994) Military Intelligence Directorate (1994-2024) National Security Bureau (2024)
Battles/wars	Syrian civil war

Background

Major General Kifah Moulhem was born in Junaynet Ruslan, Tartus Governorate to an Alawite family. His father was a friend of the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. In 1980, after military high school, Moulhem joined the Homs Military Academy and was recruited into the Republican Guard when the late Bassel al-Assad was leading it.^[4] His first role was as a liaison officer between the late Bassel al-Assad and the late Prime Minister Mahmoud Al-Zoubi.^[2]

In 1994, Moulhem was transferred to the Military Intelligence Directorate as an intelligence officer, until 2008, when he was appointed as head of the Military Investigation Department (Branch 248), where he was in charge of investigating the political opposition.^[5]

Syrian Civil War

After the start of the Syrian revolution in March 2011, Kifah Moulhem participated in the suppression of demonstrations in Damascus and its countryside, commandeering the forces of Branch 248. Military intelligence directorates in other provinces were known to regularly transfer their detainees to Branch 248 for investigation.^[2] At the end of 2012, Moulhem was transferred to the coastal city of Latakia to serve as head of the local Military Intelligence Branch.

Moulhem became known for his loyalty to the Syrian government. It is for these reason that he was transferred to lead Aleppo’s Military Intelligence Branch, when the city’s security situation deteriorated in 2012.^[2] During the Battle of Aleppo, he led interrogations of captured rebels and jihadists, serving as the city's top intelligence chief.^[2]

In 2014, Moulhem was appointed as head of the information department in the MID, and in July of the following year he was promoted to the rank of Major General. In 2015, he was appointed as deputy director of MID and president of the security council in the southern area, which includes Daraa, Quneitra and Suweida, where he served up until July 2018.^[2] In July 2019, Moulhem was appointed as director of the Military Intelligence Directorate, replacing Mohamed Mahala.