DAMASCUS: The Syrian Arab Republic’s Interior Ministry has announced the arrest of a deposed brigadier from the Assad regime, Khardal Ahmad Dioub, a former head
of Air Force Intelligence in Daraa, for his involvement in systematic violations committed against civilians.
In a statement, the ministry said the internal security forces carried out a “special operation” based on intelligence monitoring that led to Dioub’s arrest.
Investigations and security findings linked Dioub to chemical attacks during his service in the Damascus regional branch and while stationed in Harasta, where he oversaw security crackdowns and contributed to logistical coordination for the chemical bombardment of eastern Ghouta, according to the ministry.
The ministry indicated that Dioub was involved in managing the so-called assassination committee in Daraa Governorate and recruiting elements to carry out field liquidation operations, as well as establishing coordination relations with “Iranian intelligence and Hezbollah and facilitating the movements of foreign elements inside Syrian territory under official security cover.”
The Interior Ministry said he had been referred to the relevant judicial authorities for further investigation and legal proceedings.
Meanwhile, the Counterterrorism Department arrested Sahl Fajr Hassan, a brigadier general in the forces of the ousted regime, during a precise security operation.
The Interior Ministry said Hassan is considered one of the most prominent military figures involved in repressive operations against the Syrian people since the beginning of the revolution.
He had held several sensitive leadership positions, including commanding a Republican Guard battalion in Deir Ezzor and serving on the Security Committee in Aleppo.
The statement noted that he led combat fronts in the governorates of Homs and Idlib before moving to southern Syria, where he held the rank of brigadier general within the 11th Division in Sanamayn, and was assigned the duties of deputy commander of the 15th Division in Sweida, before taking overall command.
The ministry he was referred to the competent judicial authorities to complete the investigative procedures in preparation for imposing the appropriate legal penalty.
In August 2013, the army under Bashar Assad’s rule was accused of using chemical weapons to target areas then under opposition control, killing more than 1,400 men, women and children, according to US intelligence and rights groups.
