Syria arrests 9 former pilots on charges of committing crimes during the Assad era

Syrian authorities announced Thursday evening the arrest of nine former pilots, including three colonels, on charges of participating in bloody bombing operations that targeted Syrian cities and towns during the regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

For more than 13 years of civil war that claimed the lives of more than half a million people, opposition-held areas were subjected to aerial bombardment by government forces loyal to the former regime.

The official Syrian News Agency (SANA) reported that internal security forces in Latakia (western Syria) arrested nine former fighter and helicopter pilots following surveillance and monitoring, accusing them of “being involved in committing war crimes against the Syrian people in several governorates.”

SANA added: “The aforementioned individuals participated in committing numerous crimes and violations that resulted in a large number of casualties, both killed and injured, and caused severe damage to cities and towns.”