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.
