Turkiye's intelligence chief visits Syria's capital Damascus

DAMASCUS

National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief İbrahim Kalın made a significant visit to Damascus, Syria, where he prayed at the historic Umayyad Mosque.

This visit marks a symbolic moment, resonating with a 2012 statement by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the early years of the Syrian civil war. Erdoğan had expressed hopes of reading Al-Fatiha at Saladin’s tomb and praying at the Umayyad Mosque.

Kalın's visit follows the collapse of the 61-year Baath Party regime after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a militant group, seized control of Damascus. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly fled the country.