Ex-military officer accused of war crimes arrested in Tartus  

Two members of the General Security forces of Syria's transitional government in Damascus
Two members of the General Security forces of Syria's transitional government in Damascus

DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced on Wednesday the arrest of a former regime military officer accused of committing war crimes against civilians during the country’s conflict.

Colonel Abdul Rahman al-Dabbagh, Director of Damascus Security, stated that the arrest was part of ongoing efforts to track down individuals responsible for atrocities committed during the war.

He said intelligence had confirmed the presence of Taysir Mahfouz, the suspect, in the coastal city of Tartus.

Mahfouz, a former officer in the notorious Military Intelligence Branch 215, is believed to have been involved in severe human rights violations in the Damascus neighborhoods of Mezzeh and Kafr Sousa.

According to al-Dabbagh, Mahfouz was captured in a carefully coordinated ambush in cooperation with Tartus Security Directorate.

He is accused of the forced disappearance of more than 200 individuals, most of them from Mezzeh and Kafr Sousa, during his tenure with the former regime’s security apparatus. By Ahmad Othman