(Eqtsad)- The Syrian regime is pressurising employees using their need for work and source of income to force them to join courses of self defense, in order to participate in it war against Syrian people.
Abo Aziz, in his fifties, told Eqtsad that he only had two years left to be entitled for paid retirement, but his boss nominated him to join Self defense courses. He was put in dilemma, whether to keep his job and joint the courses, which would put him in a situation forces him to kill his own people, or refusing the courses which would lead to losing his job, he preferred to go for the second option and left his job.
“I have a small land, I plant it to get some money, my son send me some money from his work in Jordan, at least I now have a peace of mind that I would not be force to fight with or harm other people”, Abo Aziz explained.
A well-informed source in Daraa confirmed that attending courses of self defense has become mandatory for all employees, as there are circulars and official orders in this regard, and who refuses joining courses would put himself under legal consequences and harassment on barriers and his life in general.
The source detailed that usually employees over 40s who are chosen for such courses, because who are younger are forces for conscription where they join training courses in regime’s camps to fight Syrian people.
According to the source, self defense courses have been initiated in many Syrian provinces and they are financed by Rami Makhlouf although they are organised by Baath Party. In the beginning they were voluntary, but people were not interested in joining them, then regime forced employees to join them.
Mohammed, an employee in land registry administration in Daraa mentioned that he had joined the Self Defense course by force, in which he taught how to use, install, uninstall and clean individual arms like guns, Kalashnikov, beside physical training, educational and political lectures about the situation in Syria, to encourage them on fighting rebels and armed formations.
Mohammed added that each one joins self Defense courses is considered as having a contract with the specific military forces and receives additional money about half of his basic salary . He mentioned that many employees have no option but to join and courses to keep their jobs, which are the only source of income they have to spend on their families. Moreover, others were forced to have contracts with regime to receive salary about SYP 30 thousand.
Mohammed confirmed that most voluntary contractors are from regime supporters and loyalists. He mentioned that many women started joining these courses, especially regime supporters, who are allocated administrative work.
Abdullah, one of the employees who attended the self defense courses, but he ran away toward the end, confirmed: “attendees of those courses are requested to substitute regime’s forces on barriers when there is a need for that, besides inspect and search people and support regimes forces in their attempts to arrest wanted civilians. Moreover, trained employees are demanded to keep security in areas of reconciliation or regained by the regime from rebels.
A source of the Free Syrian Army confirmed that self defense courses are an evidence that regime has run out of sources and is unable to stay for long due to heavy losses it suffers by the Syrian resistance. The source mentioned that regime’s forces in Daraa suffer of low morale due to daily attacks they receive by rebels.
The FSA’s source mentioned that regime push men of old age to face rebels on barriers to protect its forces, but that would not prevent rebels from attacking regime’s forces whoever serving on them.
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