Syria announces detention of Assad-era general — Asharq Al-Awsat
Syrian security forces reported the detention of former Major General Ahmed Mohammad Ismail, who served in the Republican Guard under the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. According to the authorities, he led military operations against areas previously controlled by the opposition during the 13-year civil war.
Service in the Republican Guard
As Asharq Al-Awsat reports, Ismail began his service as a platoon commander and later headed a company in the 2nd Battalion of the 101st Airborne Regiment. In early 2016, he was appointed head of the operations department of the same regiment.
A security forces statement says that he directly participated in commanding military offensives on Aleppo, Daraa and Eastern Ghouta. Eastern Ghouta, located near Damascus, was one of the opposition's strongholds until 2018.
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Detention of former officials
In 2013, a large-scale chemical attack took place in Eastern Ghouta. According to US intelligence, more than a thousand people were killed by the use of the nerve agent sarin. The attack was linked to Assad's Syrian government, while the authorities at the time denied involvement and blamed opposition groups.
After Assad was overthrown in December 2024, the new Syrian authorities detained dozens of former security personnel, and trials began in April. Earlier this month, the authorities also reported the detention of nine former pilots, including three generals; they are accused of involvement in deadly bombings of cities and villages during Assad's rule.
In August, Syria sentenced Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher and five other security officials to death in absentia in a case concerning crimes committed during the civil war. The former president left Syria after the fall of his government and, as the outlet notes, is believed to be in Russia.
