Sayf Balud

Sayf Balud
A man with a short beard, clothed in a khaki uniform
Sayf Balud in 2013
Other name(s)Sayf Abu Bakr (nom du guerre)
Nickname(s)"The Turkmen commander"[1]
Bornc. 1988[2]
Bizaah, Aleppo Governorate, Syria
Allegiance Syria (before 2012)
Syrian opposition (from c. 2012)
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2013–2014; disputed)
Service / branchAir Force Intelligence Directorate[3]
Free Syrian Army
Syrian National Army
Syrian Front for Liberation
Years of service? – present
Rank
  • First Lieutenant (Air Force Intelligence Directorate)
  • Brigadier General (Hamza Division)[4]
UnitAbu Bakr Sadiq Brigades
Al-Tawhid Brigade
Hazzm Movement
Hamza Division
Battles / warsSyrian civil war 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Seyf Polat[5] (also spelled Sayf Balud), also known by the alias Sayf Abu Bakr (Arabic: سيف أبو بكر),[a] is a Syrian rebel leader who has fought for several armed opposition factions in the Syrian civil war. Having served with the Free Syrian Army during the conflict's early stages, he reportedly joined the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in 2013, possibly as a spy for the Turkish intelligence. He defected from ISIL in 2014, and consequently became the commander of the CIA-supported Hazzm Movement and later the Hamza Division. In September 2021, he became the deputy leader of the Syrian Front for Liberation. As part of these groups, he has become an important ally of Turkey within the armed Syrian opposition. He also acts as the de facto military governor of al-Bab since 2017.

  1. ^ Heras 2018, p. 14.
  2. ^ Heras 2018, p. 12.
  3. ^ "Among the Free Syrian Army". TRT World. 16 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Hamza Brigade's Leader: Few Hours Later We Will Raise The Victory Signs in Bab City (Video)". Qasioun News. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b Fevzi Kızılkoyun (13 August 2022). "Suriye Milli Ordusu Komutanı Seyf Ebubekir Polat, Hürriyet'e konuştu: Şanlı Türk bayrağı sığınağımız oldu [Syrian National Army Commander Seyf Ebubekir Polat spoke to Hürriyet: The glorious Turkish flag has become our shelter]". Hürriyet.
  6. ^ Heras 2018, p. 11.
  7. ^ Colin P. Clarke; Ahmet S. Yayla (31 December 2018). "The United States Can't Rely on Turkey to Defeat ISIS". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  8. ^ Wladimir van Wilgenburg (29 May 2020). "Clashes in Syria's Turkish-occupied Afrin leave 3 civilians dead". Kurdistan24. Retrieved 4 October 2020.


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