Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa rejects the Algerian request to extradite Algerian fighters in Assad's ranks

Monte Carlo's correspondent in Damascus, Uday Mansour, reported that Syrian President Ahmad Al-Shara rejected a request submitted by Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf regarding the release of detainees from the Algerian army and Polisario militias.

Press sources clarified that these detainees were fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad's forces around Aleppo and were captured by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham during the offensive it launched in late November, which led to the regime’s downfall.

Al-Sharaa informed the Algerian Foreign Minister that the Algerian military officers, including generals and approximately 500 soldiers from the Algerian army and Polisario militias, would be put on trial alongside the remnants of Assad’s forces who had been captured.

He also emphasized that all detainees, whether from the Algerian army or Polisario, would be treated in accordance with international regulations governing the treatment of prisoners of war. Mansour noted that this decision caused confusion in the Algerian Foreign Minister’s statements, highlighting the sensitivity of the issue in relations between the two countries.

Several press reports have previously discussed the close ties between Iran and the Polisario, as well as Tehran’s support for the movement through Hezbollah. In 2018, Morocco announced it was severing ties with Iran due to this support for the Polisario Front, which seeks independence for Western Sahara from Rabat.