Syrian authorities arrest Assad-era war-crimes suspect

The Internal Security Command announced on Thursday that it had arrested the suspect Hussein Kalla Shukr. (SANA)
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Updated 04 September 2025
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Syrian authorities arrest Assad-era war-crimes suspect

  • Hussein Kalla Shukr was captured after a citizen reported his location in the Mediterranean region of Latakia
  • Investigations revealed his participation in mutilating the bodies of Syrians while serving in militias linked to the Assad regime

LONDON: Authorities in the Syrian Arab Republic arrested a suspect from the Assad era for war crimes against civilians committed during the country's civil strife after 2011.

The Internal Security Command announced on Thursday that it had arrested Hussein Kalla Shukr — a former regime member accused of involvement in war crimes — in the Mediterranean region of Latakia.

The ministry said that Shukr was captured after a citizen reported his location, and he has been referred to the Counterterrorism Directorate for further investigation pending trial.

Investigations uncovered his alleged participation in the mutilation of the bodies of Syrians while serving in militias linked to the Assad regime. After the regime collapsed in December 2024, Shukr reportedly formed a gang that was involved in drug trafficking and theft of public property, according to the ministry.


Seven killed in drone strike on Sudan hospital: medical source

Updated 11 sec ago
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Seven killed in drone strike on Sudan hospital: medical source

PORT SUDAN: A drone strike Sunday on an army hospital in the besieged southern Sudan city of Dilling left “seven civilians dead and 12 injured,” a health worker at the facility told AFP.
The victims included patients and their companions, the medic said on condition of anonymity, explaining that the army hospital “serves the residents of the city and its surroundings, in addition to military personnel.”
Dilling, in the flashpoint state of South Kordofan, is controlled by the Sudanese army but has been under siege by rival paramilitary forces.
Since April 2023, the army has been at war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who control swathes of the greater Kordofan region along with their allies, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) faction led by Abdelaziz Al-Hilu.
Sunday’s strike comes a day after a drone strike on a United Nations peacekeeping base killed six Bangladeshi troops in the similarly besieged South Kordofan state capital of Kadugli, some 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Dilling.
According to the UN, civilians in Dilling are suffering famine conditions, but a lack of access to data has prevented an official declaration.
Across the country, the war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 12 million and created the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises.