Internal security in Aleppo province arrested Pilot Brigadier General Abd al-Razzaq Ibrahim al-Murr, wanted for conducting airstrikes targeting civilians during the rule of the toppled regime.

The official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted the security chief, Colonel Muhammad Abd al-Ghani, as saying that security forces arrested 'Pilot Brigadier General Abd al-Razzaq Ibrahim al-Murr, one of those involved in targeting our people with airstrikes over the years.'

Abd al-Ghani stressed that security agencies are proceeding with 'pursuing all those whose hands are stained with Syrian blood, and that justice will reach all those involved in crimes committed against civilians, and that there will be no impunity.'

However, the security official did not provide details about the location or circumstances of the operation that led to the arrest of the wanted officer, especially since the pilot in question is not from Aleppo province.

Karam Hafiz Ibrahim, commander of an artillery group that shelled civilian neighborhoods and areas in Daraa province during the years of the Syrian revolution (Syrian Interior Ministry)

The Syrian Interior Ministry had arrested Karam Hafiz Ibrahim for proven involvement in war crimes against civilians during the rule of the former regime, in addition to subsequent sabotage activities.

Preliminary investigations showed that the detainee graduated from the Military Academy specializing in artillery, served in several military formations, commanded an artillery group in Suwayda province, and participated in shelling civilian neighborhoods and areas in Daraa province during the years of the revolution, before being transferred to combat fronts in Homs and Idlib.

From military campaigns on Daraa during the Assad regime era (Archive-AFP)

The investigations also revealed his participation, during the events of March 6 last year, in targeting an official security convoy, then heading to the Naval Academy to participate in targeting security forces with artillery, before fleeing after security forces regained control of the area.

It also became clear that he participated in incitement gatherings at the invitation of a certain Ghazal Ghazal, possessed a military pistol for use against security forces, in addition to communicating with a person and assigning him to monitor internal security forces' movements.

The detainee has been referred to the competent authorities to complete investigations and take the necessary legal measures against him, according to the Interior Ministry statement.