A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Has Bushra al-Asad Left Syria?

I'm going to note this Reuters report that Bushra al-Asad, Bashar al-Asad's sister and the widow of Assaf Shawkat, who was killed in July, has left Syria for the UAE. Shawkat was the longtime intelligence chief, and later Deputy Defense Minister, and died in a bomb blast aimed at senor security officials.

Bushra, who is Asad's older sister, is a key member of the family and her departure with hr children would be another sign of the unraveling of the inner circle. But I would also note that there is a lot of disinformation floating around and claims such as this should be taken with some skepticism. Asad's wife Asma has been the subject of such rumors as well, but has regularly shown up in Damascus to refute them.

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