Turkish intelligence chief visits Damascus after Assad's ouster

Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın visited Damascus on Dec. 12, marking the first foreign official visit since rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Kalın met rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. Turkey denied claims that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan joined the trip.

Thursday December 12 2024 10:44 pm

Reuters

Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın was in Damascus on Dec. 12, two sources with knowledge of the visit told Reuters, for what the Syrian information ministry said would be talks involving its new rebel leadership.

The ministry said that Kalın and Qatar's head of state security, Khalfan al-Kaabi, arrived in the capital to meet with Syrian rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and caretaker prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir.

Turkey's foreign ministry denied the Syrian ministry's additional notice that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was also in Damascus for talks, saying he remained in Turkey.

Fidan attended events in Ankara on Dec. 12 including the arrival of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and is to meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ankara on Friday.
Doha did not immediately confirm that Kaabi had arrived.

Kalın's visit would be the first by a senior foreign official to Damascus since rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, ending his family's 50-year rule in a swift takeover after 13 years of civil war.

The Turkish intelligence agency MİT did not immediately comment on the visit.

Turkish news outlet Yeni Şafak and broadcaster TVNet published a video of Kalın at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus with heavy security. A Reuters reporter saw at least one car moving towards the mosque amid heavy security and large crowds but it was not immediately clear who was inside the car.

Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammad al-Golani, leads the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former affiliate of al Qaeda, that spearheaded the overthrow of Assad.