Nine pilots accused of committing war crimes against civilians were detained in Syria’s Latakia. The operation was carried out after monitoring, surveillance, intelligence-gathering and investigative work by the Latakia Internal Security Command and the Counterterrorism Branch.
An Interior Ministry official said initial investigation findings showed that the pilots had carried out more than 3,200 hours of flights since the events that began in 2011 and had conducted airstrikes in various areas.
Areas targeted by the attacks
The official said the attacks mainly covered the towns of Eastern Ghouta in the Damascus countryside, as well as Aleppo and its surrounding areas in the north, Deir ez-Zor and its countryside in the east, and the Hama countryside.
The pilots’ duties reportedly included conducting flight and combat operations, bombing areas where rebels were based as well as residential areas, facilities and strategic points, providing close air support, carrying out reconnaissance and identifying targets.
As part of the investigation, the pilots were accused of equipping helicopters and fighter jets with various explosive munitions, conducting technical checks before flights and making operational preparations. They also reportedly determined target coordinates, prepared target information and relayed it to other pilots, and provided guidance during operations.
Names of the detained pilots
Those detained included Brigadier General Menhel Anwar Salih, Sami Ibrahim Mahmud and Ghiyas Ali al-Rahiya; Colonels Issa Izzeddin Khodr, Marwan Salah Nafich and Bashar Samir Wannous; Major Ayman Hamza Alya; and Captains Ayman Ahmed Dawud and Ammar Issa Junaidi.
Latakia Internal Security Commander Abdulaziz al-Ahmad said the detentions were carried out as part of efforts to track people found to have committed crimes against Syrians. Al-Ahmad said the suspects were to be referred to the competent judicial authorities.
The internal security statement alleged that the suspects had used their military positions and expertise in fighter jet and helicopter units to commit numerous violations and crimes. It also alleged that the airstrikes had caused the deaths and injuries of many people, heavy damage in cities and towns, the displacement of civilians, and the destruction of homes and civilian facilities.
Syrian authorities periodically announce detention operations targeting people identified as responsible for violations against civilians during the conflict that began in 2011. Officials say investigations into these cases have continued since the capture of Damascus on December 8, 2024, and the end of the Assad administration.
