Syrian Interior Ministry arrests 3,548 Assad regime military personnel
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Syrian Ministry of Interior on Monday announced the arrest of 3,548 former military and security personnel accused of involvement in crimes committed under the al-Assad regime.
Earlier in the day, Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba said authorities had detained Major General Ahmad Hijazi, the former head of the Information Security Branch within the General Intelligence Directorate apparatus of the al-Assad regime.
According to statistics released by the Ministry on Monday, those detained include senior-ranking officers, among them one General of the Army, 42 Major Generals, 172 Brigadier Generals, 218 Colonels, 112 Lieutenant Colonels, 73 Majors, and 160 Captains.
The figures also showed that enlisted personnel accounted for the largest share of arrests, with 1,438 rank-and-file members detained. They were followed by 435 First Sergeants and 285 Sergeants. The list additionally included 126 First Lieutenants, 32 Second Lieutenants, 268 Warrant Officers, 174 Staff Sergeants, and 160 Corporals.
The arrests come amid a wave of protests in northern Syria in recent days, where demonstrators have called for the prosecution of individuals described as former regime loyalists and remnants of the al-Assad regime.