Media sources said that the Syrian regime’s Military Intelligence Division made changes to the Military Security Branch in Suweida city, at the officers’ level. This move comes in the wake of clashes between local factions and the Fajr Forces group led by Raji Falhout.
Suwayda 24 quoted an unnamed source on Friday as saying that the Intelligence Division had issued a decision to change the officer in charge of the Military Security branch, Brigadier General Ayman Mohammed, along with some officials.
Brigadier General Mohammed has been in charge of military security since Brigadier General Louay al-Ali stopped taking charge of the Suweida issue and limited his activity to managing the affairs of Branch 265 in the Daraa governorate.
According to the network, Mohammed is accused of supporting armed militias in Suweida, similar to the Raji Falhout group.
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The source added that “the decision to change Ayman Mohammed will be in effect since next Sunday. However, it does not include holding him accountable or referring him for investigation.”
He noted that he will be “appointed in charge of Branch 216, which is affiliated with the Military Security Service in Damascus.” The deputy head of the Suweida branch, Brigadier General Ahmed, has been transferred to the Military Security Branch in Aleppo.
There has been no official decision by the Syrian regime regarding the “changes” in Suweida.
Such steps are rarely published directly but through news spread by pro-regime networks.
Two weeks ago, Sweida had witnessed armed confrontations initiated by local factions, led by the Men of Dignity Movement, against the Fajr Forces group, which is accused of links to the Military Intelligence Division.
The clashes resulted in local factions taking control of all of Falhout’s headquarters, killing and capturing his members, while the fate of the group’s leader is not yet known.
The Suweida Governorate has a “unique” model of its military and security forces, which are divided between factions and local formations, some of which are part of the opposition while others are neutral.
A third section is loyal to the Assad regime and its security branches.
For months, the manifestations of insecurity in the Suweida governorate have been heading towards further escalation, as the governorate has witnessed clashes and kidnappings between local armed factions and groups that local factions consider loyal to the regime.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
