After the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, key figures in his military and security apparatus left the country with him. Among those whose whereabouts remain unknown are high-ranking officials previously implicated in war crimes and human rights violations, including the operation of Syrian prisons. Meanwhile, thousands of Syrians began searching for their relatives who may have been in liberated correctional facilities.

Since reports of the regime's collapse in Damascus on Sunday morning, there have been conflicting reports about where Assad may have gone. Some sources claim he flew to Moscow, but details of his movements, including the fate of the plane that took him overnight from Saturday to Sunday, remain unclear.

Among Assad's closest associates who have also disappeared are former national security adviser Ali Mamlouk and the president's brother Maher al-Assad, commander of the 4th Armored Division. The list also includes Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas, Chief of General Staff Abdul-Karim Ibrahim, head of the General Security Service Kifah Mulhim, and several other senior military officials responsible for key operations of the Syrian army.

After the fall of the regime in Damascus, armed opposition forces occupied the presidential palace on Mount Qasioun and the so-called "People's Palace". In one of the rooms of the palace, a fortified underground tunnel network was discovered, connected to the residence of Maher al-Assad, indicating careful preparations for a possible evacuation.

Along with Assad and his closest associates, other military leaders also disappeared, including Republican Guard commander Ghassan Taraf, the leaders of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd army corps, and officers in charge of special forces. There is no precise information about their fate.

Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the units previously responsible for guarding the presidential palace, such as the Republican Guard, the 4th Division and the special forces, have not been active since the fall of the regime. Instead, control over key facilities has passed to the armed opposition.