DAMASCUS (Sputnik) — Syrian President Bashar Assad has appointed Mohammad Abdullah Hazzouri as the new governor of the Hama province, the SANA news agency said Wednesday.
Assad's Wednesday decree replaced Ghassan Khalaf, who served as the central province's governor for over four years. Khalaf took over after his predecessor died when his vehicle was blown up amid the ongoing civil war in the country.
Hama has seen some heavy fighting throughout Syria's five-year conflict. The province is now mostly under government control except for several border areas. The Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) terrorist group, which outlawed in many countries, including Russia, maintains present in the sparsely populated east of the province.
