Salih Okuroglu and Mehmet Burak Karacaoglu
December 29, 2024•Update: December 29, 2024
DAMASCUS
Syria’s General Intelligence chief, Anas Hattab, announced Saturday that security institutions, accused of oppressing the population for more than 50 years under the ousted regime, will be restructured in alignment with their original purposes.
Speaking to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), he highlighted the sacrifices and efforts of the Syrian people for 13 years, culminating in their victory.
“Security institutions will be restructured, all security units will be dissolved, and they will be reshaped in a manner befitting the history, struggle, and legacy of our people,” he said.
He emphasized that security agencies under the decades-long Baath regime had inflicted suffering on the populace for more than five decades and pledged to work tirelessly to ensure the safety and rights of Syrians.
Bashar Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.
The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that lasted less than two weeks.
Anas Hattab
Following the overthrow of the 61-year-long Baath regime, Anas Hattab was appointed the new head of the intelligence agency Dec. 26 under the interim government.
The 37-year-old official is known for establishing the Public Security Organization, the intelligence and security arm of the civil administration in Idlib.
He has long collaborated closely with Ahmed Shara, the leader of Syria’s new government.
Hattab abandoned his university studies in 2003 to join forces resisting the US occupation of Iraq.
In subsequent years, he headed the security and intelligence division of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Shara.
*Writing by Merve Berker
