The people of the town of Qirfa, birthplace of the late Major General Rustom Ghazali, awoke three days ago to the storming of the headquarters of Burhan Ghazali.
Rumors circulating throughout the village claim that regime forces uncovered mass graves inside the property of the major general’s brother.
Qirfa activists spoke of the disappearance of nearly 100 people from the town, accusing Burhan of kidnapping the individuals in cooperation with the head of Political Security Branch in Izraa, Mohammed ash-Shamali.
Mohammed ash-Shamali, who was also arrested in the campaign, was directly responsible for the smuggling of fuel from al-Ghazali stations to the liberated areas prior to Rustom’s death, in a period that witnessed sharp disputes between Mohammed ash-Shamali and Wafiq an-Naser, head of the Military Intelligence Branch in Suweida.
The dispute is considered the most significant reason behind the lethal quarrel between Rustom Ghazali and Rafiq Shehadeh, head of Syria’s Military Security Branch, that led to Ghazali’s death.
The regime has since replaced Brigadier Mohsin Makhlouf, the commander of the 12th Brigade in Izraa and one of Ghazali's men in the region with Brigadier Sohail Abbas.
The fate of Mohsen Makhlouf is still unknown.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
