Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani and US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack have discussed bilateral ties and regional developments in Istanbul, as Damascus also announced the arrest of five former members of the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime over crimes against civilians.
Thursday’s talks focused on prospects for cooperation and coordination on issues of mutual interest, as well as efforts to support security and stability, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
Barrack said on X that he was “pleased to meet with Syrian Foreign Minister al-Shaibani” to discuss shared priorities in addressing regional threats.
Describing Syria as a “key component of the Middle East Rubik’s Cube,” Barrack said history was offering the region a rare opportunity to “rearrange its own pieces.”
Syria arrests five over abuses
Separately, Syria’s interior ministry said security forces had arrested five former militia and intelligence members linked to the Assad regime for alleged involvement in massacres and serious crimes against civilians.
The ministry said on Thursday that intelligence-based operations led to the arrests.
Among those detained was Shahin Hamdan al-Shahin, identified as a founder of the Shawaheen Regiment militia.
The ministry said he joined the former regime’s Air Force Intelligence Directorate in 2015 under the command of Suheil al-Hassan before helping establish armed groups.
According to the ministry, al-Shahin was directly involved in massacres in eastern Hama province and along the Ithriya-Raqqa road in 2017.
It also accused him of commanding groups involved in killings, arrests, torture and destruction in Palmyra and areas extending to Deir Ezzor province until 2019.
