'Emerald': UAE Group Launches Security Firms in Syria After Assad's Fall

The demand for private security firms in Syria has surged following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, as individuals, institutions, and facilities scramble for protection in a country still far from stable.

Before Assad’s ouster on December 8, 2024, only a handful of such companies existed—most were tightly controlled by intelligence agencies that have since been dismantled.

These firms collapsed as former military and intelligence officers, who had run them under the supervision of the National Security Office, fled, along with their owners, many of whom were close to Assad and have now taken refuge in Russia.

Security Agencies

As Syria enters its post-Assad phase, private security firms are pouring into the country, offering protection services to embassies, media outlets, and energy companies.

Leading the charge is Dubai-based Emerald Solutions, which Intelligence Online hailed as a pioneer in this new wave. Through its Damascus-registered arm, Emerald Syria Ltd., the Emirati group made a surprise early move, well before the new Syrian Interior Ministry, responsible for licensing such firms, was even up and running.

According to the journal’s April 14, 2025 report, Emerald Solutions operates legally in Syria, with its clients housed in fortified villas in Damascus guarded by local forces. The company claims it entered the capital on the very day Assad’s regime collapsed, providing immediate security to international media outlets covering the historic events.

Its rapid deployment and network-building since the regime's fall reportedly allowed Emerald to begin operations almost immediately. While Intelligence Online couldn't verify whether the firm holds an official security license, it did review its registration documents, filed on March 11, 2025, with a capital of 50 million Syrian pounds (around €3,500), signed by interim Trade Minister Maher Khalil al-Hasan, who was dismissed later that month amid a cabinet reshuffle.

Emerald’s Damascus operations are run by Simon Routon, a seasoned Middle East security expert and former British soldier who previously worked with the Kurds and served in Iraq with Aegis and AKE. Between 2011 and 2014, he helped train Kurdish Peshmerga special forces through SOS (Strategic Overseas Services), alongside other British ex-military personnel. He later led Sidar Security in Erbil for a decade and also represented Tactical North, a military equipment brokerage based in Abu Dhabi.

In one of its first high-profile missions under Syria’s new regime, Emerald claims it extracted 29-year-old American citizen Travis Timmerman from an Assad-era prison on December 12, 2024, just four days after the regime’s fall, and handed him over to U.S. forces. Timmerman had reportedly entered Syria illegally from Lebanon and vanished for seven months before emerging with thousands of other detainees during the chaos of Assad’s downfall.

The speed and scale of that operation underscored Emerald’s readiness to act in Syria’s volatile landscape, something the company has been preparing for since its founding in 2012 by Wayne Connor, a former British soldier who has worked with many of the region’s top security outfits, including Control Risks, Olive Group, and Hart Security.

A Thriving Market

Despite the recent wave of clashes, Damascus remains committed to strengthening trade and diplomatic ties with the outside world.

The transitional government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, is working to attract new investors by building trust in the emerging political system, enabling it to hold an increasing number of meetings with foreign ministries, media outlets, and international donors.

As a result, private security companies are preparing to enter the Syrian market, aware of the growing business opportunities. Several Western firms have already begun exploring prospects to support energy companies or assist the new government in asserting control over the country.

The government continues its efforts to monopolize the use of force, whether it is held by remnants of Assad’s military and intelligence services or by revolutionary factions. In this context, private security companies aim to position themselves as key partners for industrial firms and banks entering or returning to the Syrian market.

These companies also offer personal protection for individuals and Syrian businessmen returning from abroad, as well as for foreign delegations and organizations that are now arriving in Syria in greater numbers and conducting field visits across the country.

Although the new government has yet to issue regulations governing the supply of weapons, ammunition, and equipment for private security firms, Syria’s People’s Assembly approved amendments in 2023 to Legislative Decree No. 55 of 2013, which governs private security services.

The revised law requires that any licensed security company be fully owned by Syrian nationals. Licensing decisions are issued by the Minister of Interior, with the approval of the National Security Office.

While private security companies are a common and healthy phenomenon in many countries, especially in urban areas with a growing number of corporate buildings, political party headquarters, and residential complexes, they thrive particularly in unstable environments like Syria, where there is a pressing need for their services.

These companies typically offer a range of services including personal protection, bulletproof vests, explosive detection equipment, cash transport, and the safeguarding of institutions.

By operating within national laws and regulations, private security companies contribute to crime prevention and community safety through licensed services under a regulatory framework.

The scope of risks they manage is broadening, and demand for personal bodyguards is rising, especially given the fragile economy and the relatively high salaries offered in this sector.

Experts expect the demand for security personnel to grow further as Syria begins to reopen for tourism, particularly from high-profile individuals seeking protection while shopping or vacationing.

High-risk clients, especially American nationals classified as VIPs, often travel with personal security. These bodyguards usually arrive in Syria a week in advance to prepare.

After years of conflict, Syria still has a significant pool of individuals with combat experience and security training, ideal recruits for the private protection sector. Many have backgrounds in the military or police, equipping them to handle assassination attempts or violent assaults.

Although it is a high-risk profession, turning bodyguards into “human shields,” it remains highly lucrative. Numerous retired officers, including those who defected from Assad’s regime during the 2011 revolution and are untainted by war crimes, could find in this sector a natural extension of their careers.

It also allows them to leverage their accumulated experience while securing a profitable income in the private sector.

Under Assad’s Watch

Before the outbreak of the revolution, private security companies were scarce in Syria due to the regime’s tight grip, with intelligence agencies dominating every aspect of the country.

However, in the final decade of his rule, Bashar al-Assad allowed the establishment of several private security firms.

In 2017, Assad approved the launch of al-Qalaa for Security and Protection Services, founded by Khodr Ali Taher, also known as Abu Ali Khodr, the economic frontman for Asma al-Assad, Bashar’s wife. The company specialized in securing vital infrastructure.

A year later, on March 5, 2018, in a move aimed at encouraging more Shia pilgrims to visit Syria, Assad authorized the licensing of private security companies specifically to protect these visitors.

Oversight of these companies was assigned to the Ministry of Tourism, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior at the time.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection was responsible for issuing licenses. These firms were also allowed to hire non-Syrians, a rare exception under the regime.

Each licensed company was permitted to recruit between 300 and 500 guards, who were authorized to carry specific weapons: handguns and Kalashnikov rifles. Communication equipment was limited to radio transmitters.

They were also allowed to use armored vehicles, 4x4s, passenger cars, and small buses.

During Assad’s final decade in power, several of these companies thrived by recruiting young men with attractive salaries, capitalizing on the deteriorating economy and shrinking job market.

Among the most prominent was al-Maham Protection and Security Guards LLC, owned by Hussam Katerji, one of the most notorious “war profiteers” linked to the Assad family.

Today, these regime-affiliated private security companies have largely disappeared. Their owners, implicated in propping up the Assad regime and looting the economy, have either fled or gone into hiding, leaving no visible trace of the businesses they once ran.