Bashar al-Assad has appointed Brigadier General Ahmad Ibrahim al-Khalil as head of the Military Intelligence Branch 243 in eastern Deir ez-Zor province, replacing Yasin Dhahi, a pro-Iran general, sources told Zaman al-Wasl.
The shift came after a Russian request to ‘honor’ Khalil who played a key role in the Russian-brokered reconciliation deals in coastal Lattakia province where he was serving.
The regime army has promoted tens of brigadier generals who achieved fame for brutality and killing.
Most of the promoted generals come from Assad’s hometown in coastal region and belong to the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Assad, who believes that war is over, along with his key allies Russia and Iran, has managed to survive with a powerless army by depending on local militias and Iran-backed-and-funded foreign militants.
Syrian activists said all active officers in the regime army have been involved in war crimes against the Syrian people.
More than 135,000 pro-regime forces have been killed in seven years of brutal war, according to local monitoring groups.
This article was 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.
