Career with al-Nusra and HTS
Supported by independent sources
According to The Syrian Memory archive, he moved to Syria in 2012, joined Jabhat al-Nusra and served as its military emir in Aleppo until the government retook the city in December 2016, remaining with the group as it became Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and then Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. He acted as a mediator in disputes with other jihadist groups, fought in the 2019–2020 battles against the government’s Russian-backed offensive, and was part of the operations command that planned and led the November 2024 offensive. 1
The Long War Journal describes him as a secretive figure within HTS before the fall of Assad, known for his loyalty to Ahmed al-Sharaa. 2
Rank and commands in the new army
Supported by independent sources
- 29 December 2024: made a brigadier general by the General Command, one of five brigadier generals in a promotion list that gave senior ranks to several foreign fighters. Reuters named “Turkish citizen Omar Mohammed Jaftashi” among them, citing a Syrian military source and an HTS source. 3 4
- After the fall of Assad he first commanded the 44th Division in Daraa and Quneitra, opposite the Israeli-occupied Golan, according to Türkiye Today. 5
- He then commanded the Damascus Division, according to the Long War Journal; Enab Baladi reported in December 2025, citing two of the division’s company commanders, that he commands the 70th Division in rural Damascus, which includes fighters from Jaysh al-Islam, Faylaq al-Rahman, Faylaq al-Majd and the U.S.-backed Syrian Free Army. 2 4 1
- 6 August 2026: appointed commander of the 62nd Division in Hama, replacing Mohammed al-Jassim (“Abu Amsha”), who became deputy commander of the Central Corps. 6 5 7
The 62nd Division was built largely from the former Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade, which is under U.S., EU and UK sanctions; the violations found by the UN Commission of Inquiry during the March 2025 coastal violence predate his command. 62nd Division
Türkiye’s wanted list
Supported by independent sources
The Turkish Interior Ministry had listed Ömer Çiftçi, born in Osmaniye in 1980, on its list of wanted terrorists for membership of al-Qaeda. After his promotion in Syria, his name was removed from the list; Sözcü reported the removal on 2 January 2025, and The Syrian Memory dates it to January 2025. 8 1 9
Published allegation
Nordic Monitor, a Sweden-based outlet run by exiled Turkish journalists critical of the Turkish government, reported in January 2025 that he fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan from 2004, coordinated joint operations with the Turkish army in Jabal al-Zawiya and Saraqib in 2020, and, citing confidential documents it obtained, that he was profiled as an asset of Turkey’s intelligence organisation (MIT). We have not found independent confirmation of these claims. 9
What this does and does not establish
His career in al-Nusra and HTS, his promotion, his commands and his removal from Türkiye’s wanted list are documented by independent sources. The claims about Afghanistan and Turkish intelligence rest on a single outlet. No court has examined his conduct, and he is not under U.S., UK or EU sanctions.