Nine former pilot officers from Assad era arrested for ‘war crimes’

Internal Security forces in Syria’s Lattaika province have arrested nine former military pilots accused of involvement in war crimes against Syrian people, according to Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Internal Security Commander Brigadier General Abdulaziz al-Ahmad said the arrests followed “extensive surveillance, intelligence-gathering and investigations, as well as a series of carefully planned security operations across the province”, SANA reported. AFP reported that three of the arrested pilot officers are Generals Menhel Anwar Saleh, Sami Ibrahim Mahmoud and Ghayath Ali Rehyé. "Their crimes resulted in a large number of casualties... and caused extensive damage to towns and villages, in addition to displacing residents and destroying homes and civilian infrastructure," SANA added.