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Syria Says Detained Assad-Era Pilots Carried Out Thousands of Flight Hours
(MENAFN) Preliminary investigations into nine pilots detained in Syria have found that they conducted air operations across the country during more than 3,200 flight hours since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, a Syrian Interior Ministry source said Friday.
The pilots were arrested in the western province of Latakia over alleged involvement in “war crimes against the Syrian people,” authorities announced a day earlier.
According to preliminary findings, the detainees operated several types of military aircraft, including Mi-24 attack helicopters, Su-22 fighter jets, MiG-29s and MiG-21s.
Their reported missions covered several areas, including Eastern Ghouta in the Damascus countryside, Aleppo and surrounding areas, Deir ez-Zor and nearby regions, as well as the countryside around Hama.
The operations reportedly involved combat flights, “bombing revolutionary positions, populated areas, facilities and vital sites,” along with reconnaissance, target identification and close air support missions.
Investigators also said the pilots were involved in preparing military aircraft for operations by loading helicopters and fighter jets with different types of explosive weapons, conducting technical inspections and completing operational preparations before flights.
Their responsibilities allegedly extended to determining locations and coordinates, preparing information on targets, providing those details to pilots, guiding aircraft during missions and transporting former regime officers to military positions and areas of combat.
Latakia Internal Security Commander Abdulaziz al-Ahmad said Thursday that security forces, working alongside the Counterterrorism Branch, arrested the pilots following surveillance operations, tracking efforts, intelligence collection and investigations.
He said the available information indicated that the detainees had taken part in “numerous crimes and violations against the Syrian people,” using their military positions and expertise in combat aviation and helicopter operations.
According to the statement, the operations linked to the detainees included bombardments and attacks that resulted in large numbers of deaths and injuries, caused severe destruction in cities and towns, forced residents from their homes and damaged civilian infrastructure and facilities.
The detainees were identified as Brig. Gen. Manhal Anwar Saleh, Brig. Gen. Sami Ibrahim Mahmoud, Brig. Gen. Ghiyath Ali al-Rahiyah, Col. Issa Ezzeddine Khaddur, Col. Marwan Salah Nafesh, Col. Bashar Samir Wannous, Lt. Col. Ayham Hamza Aliya, Capt. Ayham Ahmad Daoud and Capt. Ammar Issa Junaidi.
Al-Ahmad said the arrests form part of ongoing efforts to identify individuals suspected of committing crimes against Syrians and bring those accused before the appropriate judicial authorities.
Syrian authorities have periodically announced arrests of individuals suspected of abuses against civilians during the years of the revolution, which began in March 2011 and continued until opposition forces entered Damascus and brought down the Assad regime on Dec. 8, 2024.
The pilots were arrested in the western province of Latakia over alleged involvement in “war crimes against the Syrian people,” authorities announced a day earlier.
According to preliminary findings, the detainees operated several types of military aircraft, including Mi-24 attack helicopters, Su-22 fighter jets, MiG-29s and MiG-21s.
Their reported missions covered several areas, including Eastern Ghouta in the Damascus countryside, Aleppo and surrounding areas, Deir ez-Zor and nearby regions, as well as the countryside around Hama.
The operations reportedly involved combat flights, “bombing revolutionary positions, populated areas, facilities and vital sites,” along with reconnaissance, target identification and close air support missions.
Investigators also said the pilots were involved in preparing military aircraft for operations by loading helicopters and fighter jets with different types of explosive weapons, conducting technical inspections and completing operational preparations before flights.
Their responsibilities allegedly extended to determining locations and coordinates, preparing information on targets, providing those details to pilots, guiding aircraft during missions and transporting former regime officers to military positions and areas of combat.
Latakia Internal Security Commander Abdulaziz al-Ahmad said Thursday that security forces, working alongside the Counterterrorism Branch, arrested the pilots following surveillance operations, tracking efforts, intelligence collection and investigations.
He said the available information indicated that the detainees had taken part in “numerous crimes and violations against the Syrian people,” using their military positions and expertise in combat aviation and helicopter operations.
According to the statement, the operations linked to the detainees included bombardments and attacks that resulted in large numbers of deaths and injuries, caused severe destruction in cities and towns, forced residents from their homes and damaged civilian infrastructure and facilities.
The detainees were identified as Brig. Gen. Manhal Anwar Saleh, Brig. Gen. Sami Ibrahim Mahmoud, Brig. Gen. Ghiyath Ali al-Rahiyah, Col. Issa Ezzeddine Khaddur, Col. Marwan Salah Nafesh, Col. Bashar Samir Wannous, Lt. Col. Ayham Hamza Aliya, Capt. Ayham Ahmad Daoud and Capt. Ammar Issa Junaidi.
Al-Ahmad said the arrests form part of ongoing efforts to identify individuals suspected of committing crimes against Syrians and bring those accused before the appropriate judicial authorities.
Syrian authorities have periodically announced arrests of individuals suspected of abuses against civilians during the years of the revolution, which began in March 2011 and continued until opposition forces entered Damascus and brought down the Assad regime on Dec. 8, 2024.
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