Zaman al-Wasl obtained a list of the most prominent leaders of the so-called "National Guard" in Sweida. The list reveals that most of them are involved in organized crime, including kidnapping, robbery, and drug trafficking, while others have been implicated in repeated prostitution cases.
The list includes dozens of well-known names in the governorate, including:
- Siyah al-Arbid (Taybeh)
- Uqba al-Shaer (responsible for the attack on the western neighborhood on July 15, 2025)
- Rabi' Anwar Arij
- Yousef Hilal Arij
- Ismat Yousef Arij
- Hussam Yousef Arij
- Saqr Arij
- Ayser Arij
- Bassam al-Arbid
- Salam al-Arbid
- Ghufran Abu Hamdan
- Ashraf Jamoul (described by the source as "the biggest criminal")
- Tariq Khweis
- Rami Ashti
- Hassan Ajram
- Shakib Azzam
- Rami Abu Shakra
- Abu Salman Fadi Badria
- Moataz al-Halabi
- Shafi' Abu Assaf (from Attil)
- Nasser Ghannam (from Salim)
- Brigadier General Hani Jarira
- Walid Hani Jarira
- Ali Mahna Jarira
- Mazen Marsal Jarira
- Hussam Joudieh
- Louay Sa'ab
- Nouris Azzam
- Firas Azzam
- Qusay Azzam
- Salman Hikmat al-Hijri (Hikmat al-Hijri's son)
- Mazid Khaddaj Abu Diab
- Bahaa al-Shaarani
- Ayham al-Qantar
- Brigadier General Jihad Najm al-Ghutani (a former brigadier general in the Assad army, accused of war crimes)
- Awdat Abu Sarhan (wanted by Interpol for drug charges)
- Muhannad Hikmat Mazhar (drug cases).
Information indicates that these individuals lead local groups that have effectively become arms of organized crime, operating under the cover of the "National Guard" and deriving their power from religious protection and traditional leadership in exchange for financial support and influence.
Observers confirm that the "National Guard" in Sweida is not a local security force, as advertised, but rather a cover for legitimizing militias and transforming them into semi-official entities run with a gang mentality, not an institutional one.
The list also reveals interconnected family networks that control the "Guard's" structures. The names of the major families—Al-Areej, Al-Arabid, Jarira, Azzam, and Al-Shaer—recur repeatedly, reflecting the formation's reliance on family and sectarian loyalties rather than institutional discipline.
The presence of drug and prostitution suspects within these formations illustrates the extent of the moral collapse within the so-called "National Guard" and presents residents with two bitter choices: submit to these mafias or confront them in a direct confrontation that threatens the civil fabric of the governorate.
Observers believe that the "National Guard" is merely a local version of the "National Defense" established by the former regime in other areas. However, in Sweida, it thrives on a religious and social cover, granting it a false legitimacy to protect a system of narrow interests that controls security and economic decisions within the governorate.
By Hussein Al-Shishakli
Zaman Al Wasl
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