Syria06 September, 20263 min read
Syrian Internal Security Arrests Major General Haitham Suleiman Barkat and Brigadier Mrowan Suleiman Barkat in Latakia
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Latakia: Internal Security Forces arrest Major General Haitham Barkat over abuses during the uprising. Brigadier Marwan Barkat also detained on charges linked to abuses and military operations.
7 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Asad Al-Shaibani Meets Saddam Haftar in Benghazi Over Syrian Consulate And Missing Syrians →
Latakia arrests over abuses
Syrian Internal Security Forces, in cooperation with the Counter-Terrorism Administration, announced the arrest of two former officers of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the Latakia Governorate: Major General Haitham Suleiman Barkat and Brigadier Mrowan Suleiman Barkat. The Interior Security Forces said the detainees were held on grounds of accusations of committing violations and military operations during the years of the Syrian revolution, including allegations that Haitham Barkat was involved in suppressing and arresting civilians, imposing extortion, and fabricating terrorism charges.
SANA reported that investigations are underway to reach details of the alleged abuses and determine responsibility, describing the arrests as part of the Interior Ministry’s ongoing efforts to pursue those accused of crimes and abuses against Syrians and refer them to competent courts. In the same announcement cycle, Al-Jazeeratu Net said the arrest came one day after Internal Security Forces announced the killing of former regime officer Faras Abdul Karim Hammoud, nicknamed the "Uncle," during a security operation to arrest him from his hideout in the city of Safita in the Tartus countryside on the Syrian western coast.
War-crimes cases expand
Separately, the Interior Security Directorate in the Latakia Governorate announced the arrest of Jalal Kamel Saqr, commander of the 18th Infantry Division, accusing him of involvement in "war crimes and wide-scale arbitrary arrests targeting civilians" during the years of the Syrian uprising. SANA said Saqr was arrested on charges of involvement in violations and military operations during the Syrian revolution, and it described his participation in military operations against unarmed civilians in Damascus province and Eastern Ghouta, alongside supervising arbitrary arrest campaigns in Daraa province.
The Al-Jazirah Net account also said Saqr was involved in military operations that "targeted civilians in Damascus Governorate and Eastern Ghouta," and it described his earlier roles as Chief of Staff of the 14th Division and deputy commander before taking command until mid-2016. In the same reporting stream, Al-Jazirah Net added that the Ministry of Interior had announced in June the detainment of 3,548 people with military ranks from the era of the fallen regime, including a major general and 42 brigadiers, plus more than 200 colonels and 112 brigadiers.
Transitional justice and missing
Beyond arrests, Mansat ta'akad described the National Missing Persons Authority announcing the launch of the national program “Athar” for reporting missing and forcibly disappeared persons, in parallel with the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. The same source said the authority was established in May 2025 by presidential decree as an independent body responsible for documenting cases of enforced disappearance, creating a national database, and providing legal and humanitarian support to families of the missing.
Mansat ta'akad also stated that there is currently no final national tally of the number of missing persons in Syria, citing the International Committee of the Red Cross as putting the number of missing at over 150,000 and the Syrian Network for Human Rights documenting at least 177,021 forcibly disappeared persons from March 2011 to June 2026. In parallel with the push for accountability, Mansat ta'akad reported that the Fourth Damascus Criminal Court issued a death sentence against Abdul-nasser Barqi on Thursday, August 27, 2026, after it was found responsible for acts including enforced disappearance, deprivation of liberty, and torture leading to death.