The trajectory of Maher Ajeeb Jazza, known as ‘Abu Ajeeb’, moved from commanding the armed militias whose name became associated with massacres and abuses, to falling into the grip of justice. This investigation traces Jazza’s path and his role in founding armed factions that committed widespread violations, before the activity of his groups later shifted to kidnapping, extortion, and organized crime. With his arrest in preparation for his extradition, the question of justice and accountability returns to the fore — over whether the trials of militia commanders can begin and the victims be granted redress.
The commander’s profile and the founding of the militias
Maher Ajeeb Jazza was born in the town of Nubl in the northern countryside of Aleppo, and rose to become one of the most prominent militia commanders in Syria, founding and leading multiple armed factions that were assigned different roles. These factions included the ‘Liwa Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas’ militia and the ‘Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq’ militia, which operated under direct Iranian supervision, in addition to a leadership post he held in the ‘Liwa al-Imam al-Mahdi’.
Military expansion and violations
The ‘Liwa Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas’ militia was formed in 2012, during the Syrian revolution, and counted among its ranks members of various nationalities. The militia took part in wide-ranging military operations and battles spanning the areas of Damascus and its countryside, Homs, Aleppo, and Deir ez-Zor. It drew broad international criticism for disregarding the international human rights reports that documented the Syrian regime’s violations against civilians in those areas.
A record of massacres and field executions
The name ‘Abu Ajeeb’ is tied to a record of documented violations and field executions. Prominent in his file is the 2013 massacre in the town of ‘al-Dhiyabiya’, which saw field liquidations and the mass burial of victims. He also commanded the armed groups in the 2014 massacre at the ‘Ali al-Wahsh checkpoint’, south of Damascus, where the violations left Syrian and Palestinian civilian victims. The operations extended to further massacres in the areas of al-Nashabiya, al-Maliha, al-Hajar al-Aswad, and Sbeineh.
The shift to organized crime
The groups led by Jazza underwent a radical change in the nature of their activity after the decline of the funding provided to him by the ‘Republican Guard’ of the ousted regime. The militia members’ activity shifted from direct military operations to organized crime, as they took up kidnapping, robbery, and financial extortion targeting civilians to make up for the shortfall in financial support.
Flight and the grip of accountability
Following the fall of the ousted regime, ‘Abu Ajeeb’ fled, along with a group of officers, into Lebanese territory through illegal border crossings. Lebanese security forces later detained the fugitive commander, in preparation for handing him over to the Syrian authorities to stand trial in Damascus, on the basis of joint security coordination between the two sides to pursue those implicated in cases of criminal and military violations.