Syria: Security forces target former Assad regime members over Tadamon massacre

Syrian authorities have arrested three former officers of the Assad regime, who are suspected of being involved in the notorious 2013 Tadamon massacre, which resulted in the deaths of dozens in the southern Damascus suburb.

The massacre, which took place in April 2013, was initially uncovered by Syrian researchers in 2022.

Reports estimate that 288 people were executed by regime-affiliated National Defence Forces (NDF) militia members, with some estimates indicating that the total death toll in the region, including subsequent massacres, could exceed 500.

Sources told foreign media that the recent arrests were part of a security operation launched by Syria’s new authorities, aimed at targeting former Assad regime members, especially ex-NDF leaders, after public outcry over the lack of action regarding the massacre, per Caliber.Az.

Protests erupted in Tadamon earlier this month after Fadi Saqr, an NDF leader accused of being involved in the massacre, visited the area accompanied by commanders from the new government.

The three officers arrested on February 17 were identified as Mundhir Al-Jaza’iri, Somar Mohammed Al-Mahmoud, and Imad Mohammed Al-Mahmoud, although their involvement has yet to be fully verified.

In a statement, Major Abdul Rahman Al-Dabbagh, head of General Security in Damascus, confirmed the arrests. "Following a monitoring and tracking operation, security forces successfully apprehended one of the leaders of the criminals responsible for the Tadamon massacre," he said. He added that preliminary interrogations had led to the identification of other suspects, with two more arrests made shortly afterwards.

Al-Dabbagh further stated that the suspects had confessed to their roles in the massacre, and efforts were underway to locate mass graves in the area. "These criminals will not escape justice," he said, emphasizing that they would be handed over to the judiciary.

Earlier, on February 7, the Syrian Interior Ministry’s General Security Administration also arrested Ghadeer Salem, the leader of the NDF’s Tadamon branch, further intensifying the crackdown on those responsible for the massacre.

By Tamilla Hasanova