DAMASCUS: Syrian armed group Jaish al-Islam said its leader was arrested upon arrival at Dubai airport several days ago as supporters gathered in Damascus to demand his release.

Since 2015, Issam Buwaydani has been head of Jaish al-Islam, a group that fought against the now-ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad and once controlled the Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus.

After Syria’s new authorities announced the dissolution of armed groups following Assad’s December overthrow, Jaish al-Islam was integrated into the new Syrian forces and Buwaydani became a defence ministry official. Two sources close to Buwaydani said that he had been arrested Thursday at Dubai airport as he was leaving the United Arab Emirates.

Requesting anonymity because the matter is sensitive, they said he had entered the UAE on a Turkish passport. “We do not know the reasons for his arrest,” one of the sources said, adding that Buwaydani was on a private visit to the Gulf country. “The Syrian government has been in contact with the Emirates” but has not received a response, the source added.

Jaish al-Islam’s chief military spokesman Hamza Bayraqdar on messaging app Telegram appealed for “the immediate and unconditional release” of Buwaydani, calling him “one of the symbols of the Syrian revolution”. The UAE has not confirmed Buwaydani’s arrest.

Earlier this month the Emirates welcomed Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa for his first official visit to the country. Sharaa’s group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the coalition that ousted Assad on Dec 8.

Several people gathered in Damascus’ Umayyad Square on Monday to demand Buwaydani’s release, urging their government to intervene in the matter. “I am demonstrating here to send a message to the UAE and to the new Syrian government, and specifically to the foreign minister, to demand the release of the heroic leader Issam Buwaydani,” Abu Khaled Nassif, one of the protesters, said.

Buwaydani took over Jaish al-Islam after the killing of its founder, Zahran Alloush, in 2015. Activists have blamed Jaish al-Islam for the Dec 2013 kidnapping of four human rights activists including Syrian lawyer and journalist Razan Zeitouneh.

The group, which withdrew to northwest Syria after Assad’s forces retook the Ghouta area, has denied the allegations. Since Assad’s overthrow, Buwaydani has appeared next to Sharaa on several occasions.

Former Jaish al-Islam member Majdi Nema goes on trial in France this week for alleged involvement in war crimes in Syria between 2013 and 2016.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2025