Syria's former defense minister, Mustafa Tlass, died in the French capital of Paris on Tuesday morning after struggling with illness.
His son Firas Tlass mourned him on his private Facebook page in which he said, “I announce to you the death of my father, Gen. Mustafa Tlass, in Paris, far away from the country he loved.”
Rumors of Tlass’ death spread about a week ago after he was taken to the hospital, while media sources said that he was in a state of clinical death from that time.
The former defense minister departed the country after the outbreak of the Syrian people’s revolution against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Before retiring in 2004, Tlass held a number of command posts under Hafez al-Assad, including defense minister, deputy commander general of the army and armed forces, and deputy prime minister.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
