Reports: Egypt intelligence chief made ‘secret’ visit to Syria

Media sources loyal to the Syrian regime said the Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, Abbas Kamel, visited the Syrian capital, Damascus, on 2 March and met with Syrian officials.

The Al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the Syrian regime, quoted unnamed sources as saying that Kamel was received by the head of the National Security Bureau, Major General Ali Mamlouk, and discussed with him the developments of the war on terrorism in Syria, and the recent developments in the region.

Mamlouk is a special security adviser to Syrian regime President Bashar Al-Assad.

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The Egyptian authorities and the Syrian regime did not announce the visit or why it took place.

Media reports have indicated that Kamel’s visit to Damascus comes after secret short visits to a number of Arab countries, most notably Tunisia, Algeria and eastern Libya, in order to form an intelligence security coalition to counter the Turkish presence in the Arab region.