DAMASCUS – The new administration in Syria has intensified its efforts to track down and arrest members of the ousted Assad regime, signaling a strong stance against those challenging its ability to impose law and order. This follows the toppling of President Bashar Al-Assad by a rebel alliance three weeks ago.
State-run Syrian news agency Sana reported on December 28 that several “remnants of the Assad militias” were arrested in the coastal Latakia region in western Syria, with weapons and ammunition confiscated. The administration has made it clear that pursuing loyalists of the Assad dictatorship who undermine its authority is a top priority.
However, a human rights organization has raised concerns about the arbitrary arrests of Assad supporters by the transitional government. Over the past few days, government security forces have been pursuing members of the Assad regime in the regions of Tartus, Homs, and Hama, according to Sana.
On December 25, an attempt to arrest Mohammed Kanjou al-Hassan, the former director of military justice under Assad, resulted in deadly clashes in Tartus, a region central to Assad’s Alawite minority. Security forces were ambushed by loyalists, leading to the deaths of fourteen government forces, as reported by Syrian interim interior minister Mohammed Abdel Rahman.
While there were reports of al-Hassan’s arrest, officials in Syria’s transitional government had not confirmed his status as of December 28. The interim Interior Ministry emphasized that security forces were targeting Assad regime members to secure the country’s territory, stating that the campaign was launched after loyalists failed to surrender their weapons and settle their affairs within a specified time frame.
On December 28, Lebanese authorities repatriated 70 Syrian officers and soldiers who served in Assad’s military after they had illegally entered Lebanon the previous day, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. An official in the new Syrian administration confirmed the return of military personnel from the ousted regime to Syria, without specifying a number.