Largely based in Syria since the war, Younis was accused by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of having access to substantial funds and that he has been disbursing funds and directing fighting of Sunni insurgents inside Iraq. According to journalists Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attempted to make al-Ahmed the leader of the Iraqi Baathist insurgents at some point.
Younis's presence in Syria due to the war led to accusations by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that he had access to significant financial resources and was distributing funds to direct the fighting of Sunni insurgents within Iraq. Journalists reported that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad considered al-Ahmed as a potential leader of the Iraqi Baathist insurgents at some point.