Rebels say regime kidnapped last Alawite defector in Daraa

(Translation by Yusra Ahmed)


The Tribes Battalion, key unit of Southern Front rebel group, has detailed circumstances around disappearance of of Captain Hussein al-Ahmad, the only Alawite defector among Free Syrian army in Daraa province.

Last Saturday morning Capt. Hussein al-Ahmad was disappeared from al Farouq brigade.. The initial investigations suggested that he was kidnapped by the Syrian regime through their agents within FSA.

Tribes Battalion has not confirmed neither denied the possibility that al-Ahmad has returned to the regime’s forces as many regime-loyal media deliberately announced.

Al-Ahmad was captured at “Baqaa” barrier which was at the time controlled by Faruq brigade before being taken over by Tribes’ battalion.

Activists said that al-Ahmed was subject to many attempts of kidnapping and assassination, but all of them failed, aiming to silence the voice that of truth about the regime to the rest of the communities and shows the reality of the revolution and its goals.

Al Farouq brigade has imprisoned Al-Ahmad and negotiated the Syrian regime for exchange him with Major. Talal Khalaf, the current commander of the Tribes’ battalion, but the regime refused the operation, despite al-Ahmad is from Qerdaha, Bashar al-Assad's home town.

The statement of Tribes’ Battalion explained that after the Syrian regime rejected the exchange operation, they did a search about his political background, they found that he was good person and respected by the public and he was known of his good treatment to people during the controlling a barriers of the regime, even the barrier was named “you can cross.”

The statement added: "We have treated him well and after a period of time, Capt. Hussein al-Ahmad request to declare its defection from the forces of the Syrian regime and join the ranks of the Free Syrian Army, after witnessing the reality of the revolution”.

The statement added that he worked in his specialty and experience in mending and maintaining tanks, and he fixed tanks to the various groups of the Free Syrian Army, beside that he participated in many battles with the FSA against the regime. He talked many times through media to people of his sect to warn them about the regime and how it took advantage of the Alawite sect in order to stay in power explaining that the Revolution is for all Syrians of different affiliations.