Syria: sacking 23 officers over 'behavior' accusations

Well- informed sources in Damascus said that President Bashar al-Assad has issued a decree that terminates the services of 23 officers of various military grades working for the ministry of the interior, on the background of "behavior violations."

Well-informed sources which asked not to be identified said the decree "which did not come at the traditional time of sacking operations was surprising, and targeted police officers of various grades including directors of provinces and heads of the political security branches in the Syrian provinces especially in the province of Sweida, which witnessed reciprocated acts of violence between the citizen and the surrounding nomad Bedouins, incidents which resulted in killing several persons."

The sources commented that "this measure is the first of its kind and covers large number of officers simultaneously." It is expected that the sacking measures will be followed by other measures that might be judiciary against many of them, as the sources considered the "possibilities to be open."

Observers considered that these measures to be confined to "purification and development" operation, led by the current Syrian minister of the interior Lt. Gen. Ali Hammoud in the Ministry of the Interior. Hammoud assumed his office by the end of 2001.