Syria arrests two Assad-era officers accused of abuses

Syria’s transitional government has continued its crackdown on Assad-era officials, with the interior ministry announcing on Tuesday the arrest of Major General Suhail Nadim Abbas over his alleged involvement in military operations and violations against civilians.

The ministry said the arrest followed investigations that found Abbas had been involved in military operations in Tulul al-Safa in Suwaida in 2018, as well as operations in Daraa, Homs and Idlib.

Investigators also found that Abbas had issued orders for troops to use live ammunition and rocket launchers during military operations.

Syria’s official SANA news agency also confirmed the arrest.

On the same day, security forces announced the arrest of Lieutenant Colonel Musab Abu Rukba in Daraa following coordination with the counter-terrorism department.

Abu Rukba had previously fled to Austria, where he was sentenced to eight years in prison over abuses committed against detainees during the rule of Bashar al-Assad.

A Vienna court convicted him of inflicting bodily harm, aggravated coercion and sexual assault against people who had spoken out against Assad’s rule more than a decade ago, when Abu Rukba served as head of a police criminal investigations unit.

The latest arrests follow the detention last month of Brigadier General Abdul Razzaq Ibrahim al-Mur, who was accused of involvement in air raids on civilian areas over several years.

Mohammed Abdul Ghani, the head of internal security in Aleppo, said in an official statement that authorities had arrested al-Mur, accusing him of targeting civilians “for years”.

Syria’s new authorities have continued to target Assad-era officials accused of committing war crimes and human rights violations against Syrians during the more than decade-long conflict that erupted in 2011, after Assad’s forces violently suppressed anti-government protests.

The conflict drew in foreign militaries and armed groups, killed more than half a million people, displaced millions and left large parts of the country in ruins.

Assad’s regime collapsed in December 2024 following a lightning rebel offensive, prompting him and his family to flee to Russia, where they remain in exile.

Since then, the new administration in Damascus has sought to hold figures accused of crimes under the former regime accountable, while calling on Syrians to provide evidence and grappling with significant security, economic and humanitarian challenges.