Syria lifts travel bans issued under Assad regime

By Yakoota Al Ahmad and Ikram Kouachi

ISTANBUL (AA) – Syria’s Interior Ministry canceled on Sunday all travel bans issued against citizens by the deposed regime of Bashar al-Assad, totaling more than 5.16 million cases.

A ministry statement carried by the state news agency SANA said the lifted restrictions included arrest warrants, summonses, notifications, and bans related to evading mandatory and reserve military service.

Since the fall of the Assad regime, Syria has undergone sweeping political changes.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period on Jan. 29.