(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian regime-held western neighborhoods of Aleppo has been empty of young men. Whoever visits the city can notice the phenomenon of women working in commercial stores, restaurants, and small workshops in contrary to what the city was like. The city which was known to be “conservative” years ago.
A number of locals state that absence of young men is related to the security campaigns launched by regime to recruit young men below age of 45 by force to compensate for the shortage and loss in regime forces’ ranks during battles with rebels on the one hand, and young men fleeing Aleppo to neighboring countries or Free Syrian Army-controlled areas on the other hand fearing arrest and recruitment in regime army.
Young men fear the ghost of the regime's security patrols that dubbed as "al-Mushtraka, because it members of different intelligence branches, or The Joint.
Ahmad Halaq tells Zaman al-Wasl, “the security patrols search everyday for young men to recruit them in the military or reserve army which led young men to hide from them and stop working or leave the city.”
He added, “the joint is a patrol consisting of 10 military vehicles for each security branch headed by an officer and accompanied by a car carrying gun machine and a bus to arrest young men.”
Ahmad Barakat confirms that young men are forced to join Syrian National Defense militia (NDF) or Baath brigade to avoid arrest and forced recruitment; clarifying that the joint daily storms the general park and al-Sabeel park in search for young men and any military personnel who left their locations to punish them for their violation.
He indicated that in some instances, the joint storms the houses in search for young men when they do not find them in the streets and establish checkpoints on transport complexes like al-Shurta Square in al-Furqan neighborhood and Share al-Nil Square and others.
Regarding women’s work, S.M told Zaman al-Wasl, “Aleppo city turned into a completely feminized city, and I am not the only one working in selling clothes.
All commercial stores lack young men now. Women work in selling sandwiches and cocktails and all of this is related to men’s fear of arrest and taken to be recruited in army to fight with regime forces against the rebels. I have to work to support my mother and father to make ends meet.”
She mentioned that, “the joint patrol does not go to al-Sulaymaniye and al-Azaziye neighborhood which are inhabited by Christians. The patrol focuses its arrests and security procedures on the Arab Sunni neighborhoods which led to the rise of the number of unmarried women and women now dream of getting married.”
Zaman al-Wasl obtained information confirming that the joint patrol transports arrested civilians to recruit them fast in the General Recruitment Branch in Party Preparation School in al-Furqan neighborhood and later deploys them to training headquarters in the Military Engineering Academy to get two-weeks training and eventually sent them to fight on hot fronts against rebels in the surrounding of the city.
A number of locals state that absence of young men is related to the security campaigns launched by regime to recruit young men below age of 45 by force to compensate for the shortage and loss in regime forces’ ranks during battles with rebels on the one hand, and young men fleeing Aleppo to neighboring countries or Free Syrian Army-controlled areas on the other hand fearing arrest and recruitment in regime army.
Young men fear the ghost of the regime's security patrols that dubbed as "al-Mushtraka, because it members of different intelligence branches, or The Joint.
Ahmad Halaq tells Zaman al-Wasl, “the security patrols search everyday for young men to recruit them in the military or reserve army which led young men to hide from them and stop working or leave the city.”
He added, “the joint is a patrol consisting of 10 military vehicles for each security branch headed by an officer and accompanied by a car carrying gun machine and a bus to arrest young men.”
Ahmad Barakat confirms that young men are forced to join Syrian National Defense militia (NDF) or Baath brigade to avoid arrest and forced recruitment; clarifying that the joint daily storms the general park and al-Sabeel park in search for young men and any military personnel who left their locations to punish them for their violation.
He indicated that in some instances, the joint storms the houses in search for young men when they do not find them in the streets and establish checkpoints on transport complexes like al-Shurta Square in al-Furqan neighborhood and Share al-Nil Square and others.
Regarding women’s work, S.M told Zaman al-Wasl, “Aleppo city turned into a completely feminized city, and I am not the only one working in selling clothes.
All commercial stores lack young men now. Women work in selling sandwiches and cocktails and all of this is related to men’s fear of arrest and taken to be recruited in army to fight with regime forces against the rebels. I have to work to support my mother and father to make ends meet.”
She mentioned that, “the joint patrol does not go to al-Sulaymaniye and al-Azaziye neighborhood which are inhabited by Christians. The patrol focuses its arrests and security procedures on the Arab Sunni neighborhoods which led to the rise of the number of unmarried women and women now dream of getting married.”
Zaman al-Wasl obtained information confirming that the joint patrol transports arrested civilians to recruit them fast in the General Recruitment Branch in Party Preparation School in al-Furqan neighborhood and later deploys them to training headquarters in the Military Engineering Academy to get two-weeks training and eventually sent them to fight on hot fronts against rebels in the surrounding of the city.
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.