Arresting Assad Regime Officials Linked to Syrian Bloodshed: New Administration’s Policy

“The dispersion of the remnants of the ousted regime has facilitated their capture.”
The security campaign launched by the new Syrian administration to capture the remnants of Bashar al-Assad's fallen regime is running more “systematically” than before, allowing it to achieve what has been described as “positive” results.
On December 26, 2024, the Syrian Transitional Government's Ministry of Interior initiated a large-scale operation to hunt down criminals linked to the ousted regime.
The campaign was carried out in collaboration with the Military Operations Command, an alliance of opposition factions that formed to oust Assad, successfully achieving this on December 8, 2024.

Tracking the Remnants
The security campaign focused on tracking down the remnants of the fallen regime in the areas surrounding Damascus, as well as in the provinces of Latakia, Tartus, Homs, Hama, and Aleppo.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior confirmed in a statement that the campaign's goal is to locate “war criminals and those involved in crimes who refused to surrender their weapons or report to reconciliation centers.”
The reconciliation centers were established by the Military Operations Command the day after Assad's regime fell, in all Syrian provinces, to collect weapons from military officers, soldiers, and local militias, offering temporary cards to protect them from harm.
The new Syrian administration stated that those involved in killings and torture would be prosecuted.
However, thousands of loyalists from the former regime defied orders to surrender their weapons, spurring the Syrian Ministry of Interior to launch a bold crackdown to bring them to justice.
This was especially after former Assad regime members attacked security patrols belonging to the Military Operations Command, resulting in casualties among the latter's forces in the countryside of Latakia and Tartus.
Those leading the campaign confirmed that it targets individuals who refuse to reconcile and hand over their weapons, as well as gangs operating against the local population and threatening their security.
On the first day of the campaign, the new Syrian security forces managed to capture former military judiciary chief, Mohammad Kanjo Hassan, in the countryside of Tartus. He was responsible for field executions at the infamous Saydnaya Prison near Damascus, known for its horrific atrocities, torture, and executions of detainees involved in the 2011 uprising.
Among the notable figures arrested during the campaign on December 27, 2024, in Aleppo was Fakhri Darwish, head of al-Quds Brigade’s office.
Al-Quds Brigade is a local militia formed by Iran in 2013 to suppress the revolution, and it has been accused by Syrian human rights organizations of committing massacres against the Syrian people.

On January 2, 2025, the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate successfully arrested Mohammad Nour al-Din Shalhoum, who was involved in disabling the cameras at Saydnaya Prison and stealing files from the prison just before the opposition forces arrived to liberate Damascus.
Shalhoum worked under the command of his relative, Hossam Shalhoum, the leader of the Tigers forces. He, along with others, disabled the prison cameras and stole documents before the prison’s liberation.
During searches in Homs, on January 2, 2025, Syrian security forces apprehended Aws Saloum, also known as “Azrael of Saydnaya” who is accused of killing and torturing numerous detainees during the uprising.
“Azrael of Saydnaya” was mentioned by several former detainees from the prison, including the late Syrian activist Mazen Hamada.
Hamada, who had been imprisoned twice and tortured, recounted in one of his testimonies about a guard nicknamed “Azrael.” This guard would bring a detainee, say that “the divine court has sentenced you to death,” and then strike the detainee's head with an iron bar until they died.
Hamada was arrested for the first time after participating in the 2011 protests, where he endured brutal torture in various forms. He later shared his torture experiences in Assad's prisons with Arabic and international media after his release and escape to the Netherlands in 2014, where he sought asylum.
However, Hamada made an unexpected return to Syria in 2020. Reports at the time suggested that the regime lured him back. As soon as he arrived at Damascus International Airport, he was detained and vanished until two days after the regime's fall when a revolutionary faction discovered his body.
He was found, along with around 35 other bodies, in a morgue freezer at Harasta Hospital, northeast of Damascus. His body was wrapped in white bags and cloth, showing signs of torture and bruises.
Amaal, Hamada's sister, told Agence France-Presse that a doctor had informed her that her brother, Mazen, had been executed about ten days ago, just before the fall of the Assad regime.

Close Tracking
During the security campaign, Shujaa al-Ali was killed on December 26, 2024, in clashes between the new security forces and supporters of the ousted Syrian regime in the village of Balqasah in rural Homs.
Al-Ali was responsible for the massacre in the Houla area of Homs on May 25, 2012, when Assad’s forces besieged the population, resulting in 109 deaths, half of them children.
He was accused of leading an armed gang linked to the Military Intelligence branch in Homs, involved in kidnappings and extortions, particularly targeting women to demand large ransoms.
Syrian media outlets have released footage showing the capture of dozens of Assad regime loyalists during the security campaign, with local activists estimating the number of arrests to be in the thousands.
Notably, local elders compiled a list of wanted individuals to assist in their arrest and prevent them from escaping justice.
In this context, retired Brigadier General Abdullah al-Asaad, head of the Syrian Rasd Center for Strategic Studies, told Al-Estiklal that “the security operation to track down remnants of the former regime was precise and rapidly yielded positive results.”
This was especially true as the raid tactics against individuals from the army, militias, and National Defense Forces “were based on information about their locations.”
Al-Asaad also noted that “the Military Operations Command, which ousted Assad, benefited from its local fighters and the help of the community in reporting the whereabouts of the regime remnants, who now pose a significant threat to civil peace and obstruct the country's stabilization process.”
“The military campaign is praised for its success in capturing those involved in Syrian bloodshed, ensuring they cannot inflict further harm or chaos.”
Al-Asaad pointed out that “the search operations involve surrounding specific neighborhoods and clearing them of Assad’s remnants, then declaring them weapon-free zones, which accelerates the process of capturing officers, non-commissioned officers, and members of the former regime’s army.”
The official Syrian news agency, SANA, confirmed in late December 2024 that “a number of Assad militia remnants and suspects were arrested in the Latakia area,” adding that similar arrests took place in Hama. The agency also mentioned “the confiscation of significant quantities of weapons and ammunition.”
Local networks reported that the security campaign also succeeded in capturing informants for the security agencies, armed elements loyal to the regime and Iran, as well as military personnel and low-ranking officers who were found to have carried out acts of murder and torture against Syrians following the outbreak of the revolution.
Syrian human rights organizations possess the names of officers from the ousted Assad regime who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity to suppress the revolution, documenting instances of killings, the locations where they occurred, and the dates of these atrocities.
UN investigators have compiled secret lists containing the names of 4,000 individuals involved in war crimes and other serious offenses in Syria, expressing hope that accountability will be ensured at the highest levels following the fall of the ousted regime.

State of Dispersion
In this context, Nawar Shaaban, a Syrian security researcher at the Harmoon Center for Contemporary Studies, said, “The security efforts targeting the remnants of Assad's regime have been consistent and are delivering positive outcomes.”
“The strategy employed to handle them has proven effective, often allowing a two-day grace period for wanted individuals to surrender within their neighborhoods or cities,” he told Al-Estiklal.
Shaaban explained that this approach minimizes the risk of clashes with suspects, especially as the military strategy proves effective when individuals refuse to lay down their arms.
“The dispersion of the ousted regime’s remnants has facilitated their capture in some areas, though others may require more time.”
Shaaban further suggested that “resolving the issue of capturing Assad's remnants should be followed by clarifying the profiles of those arrested and outlining the settlement process for those still in hiding within Syria, to encourage their surrender.”
Military experts confirm that some officers from the ousted Assad regime managed to flee to neighboring countries or hide in the coastal mountains of Syria or their hometowns.
Undoubtedly, pursuing officers from the ousted Assad regime involved in the bloodshed of the Syrian people remains a top priority for the new leadership in Syria.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the Military Operations Command, announced that the transitional government would soon publish “the first list of those heavily involved in torturing the Syrian people” to pursue and hold them accountable.
“We have reaffirmed our commitment to mercy for those whose hands are not stained with the blood of the Syrian people, granting amnesty to those who were part of mandatory military service,” al-Sharaa said, stressing that the “blood and rights” of innocent victims and detainees “will not be wasted or forgotten.”
He vowed to bring perpetrators of such violations to justice, adding, “We will pursue them in our country.” Al-Sharaa also indicated that other countries would be urged to hand over any suspects.
Sources
- "Execution Officer in Saydnaya": News about the arrest of Mohammad Kanjo [Arabic]
- Shujaa al-Ali: Participated in the Houla massacre and headed the kidnapping militia on the Syrian-Lebanese border [Arabic]
- Syrian General Security arrests the thief of Saydnaya prison files [Arabic]
- The Military Operations Command in Syria announces a general amnesty for all conscripted soldiers [Arabic]