Red Cross mediates between Syrian government and opposition to exchange prisoners
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Syria said on Tuesday that the committee mediated a prisoner exchange deal between the government forces and the opposition factions at the request of the guarantor states of the Astana process, expressing its readiness to carry out similar tasks.
On July 2, a 10-prisoner exchange deal took place between the Syrian government forces and the Turkish-backed opposition factions in the countryside of Aleppo, north Syria.
The exchange took place through the Abu al-Zandin crossing in the countryside of al-Bab region, east of Aleppo, where each side handed over five prisoners to the other side.
“The ICRC played a neutral humanitarian mediator role in the prisoner exchange process without involving in the negotiations between the parties of the conflict,” Adnan Hazim told the semi-official newspaper, al-Watan.
He hoped for further operations to allow prisoners, who have been away for years, to communicate with their families.
“Among those released by the pro-Turkish National Army militants were officers who were captured for more than four years,” a security source of the government forces, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told North Press.
He added that among the detainees released by the government forces were Muhammad Diya’ Bolad, who is the cousin of the leader of the Hamza Division, Saif Abu Bakr, and Hussein Issa, the nephew of Fahim Issa, who is also a leader in the Sultan Murad Division.