Syrian authorities have announced that they arrested former Major General Ali Saleh Dhiab, who headed the military intelligence branch in the northeastern city of Qamishli during the rule of the ousted regime leader Bashar al Assad.
In a statement on Friday, Syria’s interior ministry said that internal security forces carried out what it described as a “special security operation” based on surveillance and intelligence gathering that led to Dhiab’s arrest.
The ministry described Dhiab as “one of the prominent officers” in the military and security apparatus under the former regime.
It said he served as head of the military intelligence branch in Qamishli between 2008 and 2018.
According to the ministry, Dhiab’s name was linked to “systematic violations and crimes," and he was known to be close to several senior security commanders during the Assad era.
Initial investigations indicate that he was responsible for pursuing and arresting large numbers of young people in the northeastern provinces of Hasakah and Qamishli before transferring them to the notorious Branch 235 and Sednaya prisons.
The ministry said the arrest was part of ongoing efforts to pursue those involved in crimes affecting civilians and bring them to justice.
The arrest comes as Syria’s new government continues a campaign to track down former officials and members of Assad’s regime accused of violations against civilians between 2011 and 2024.
