Former Syrian rebel leader Issam Buwaydani returned to Damascus on Thursday nearly a year after his detention for unknown reasons in the United Arab Emirates, a Syrian military official told AFP. Buwaydani, who had been the leader of Jaish al-Islam, a group that fought against the now-ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad, arrived a day after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's visit to the UAE, during which he met with leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. "Issam Buwaydani arrived in Damascus," said the official, who requested anonymity, adding that Sharaa and his Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra received him at the presidential palace.
In April 2025, Jaish al-Islam, one of the groups integrated into the new Syrian forces since all armed factions were dissolved, announced that Buwaydani was arrested at the Dubai airport, having entered the UAE on a Turkish passport for a personal visit. The reasons behind the arrest were unclear. Supporters and family members had been protesting in Damascus over the past months, asking Syrian authorities to intervene to secure his release.
Jaish al-Islam was a major Islamist faction fighting Assad's forces, and once controlled the Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus. Since Assad's overthrow in December 2024, Buwaydani appeared next to Sharaa on several occasions. In his hometown of Douma, dozens of residents prepared to welcome him, according to an AFP correspondent, amid a heavy security presence. Activists have blamed Jaish al-Islam for the December 2013 kidnapping of four human rights activists, including Syrian lawyer and journalist Razan Zeitouneh.