Syrian authorities have announced the arrest of nine former pilots, including three brigadier generals, who are accused of participating in deadly bombing operations targeting Syrian cities and towns during the rule of former President Bashar al-Assad.
Internal security forces in Latakia, located in western Syria, conducted surveillance and tracking operations leading to the capture of the former pilots, who flew fighter jets and helicopters. They are accused of committing war crimes against the Syrian people in several provinces.
The detainees include Brigadier General Munhel Anwar Saleh, Brigadier General Sami Ibrahim Mahmoud, and Brigadier General Ghayyath Ali Al-Rahiyeh, according to the state news agency SANA.
Over 13 years of war, which resulted in the death of more than half a million people, opposition-controlled areas were subjected to airstrikes by government forces loyal to the former regime.
Since assuming power, the new Syrian authorities have been pursuing former regime officials accused of human rights violations and established a transitional justice commission to uncover such violations committed by the ousted regime.
Last Monday, Syrian authorities announced the arrest of a former senior officer who was under European sanctions, accused of involvement in the killing of protesters in 2011 and the violent events in Hama in 1982.
In August, courts issued a death sentence in absentia against Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia, and his brother, Maher.
The French judiciary has also issued three arrest warrants against Bashar al-Assad, charging him with complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity. These charges are related to lethal chemical attacks in 2013, the bombing of a civilian residential area in Daraa in 2017, and the bombing of a journalistic center in Homs in 2012.