Quatifa city: Despite Assad fall, notorious legacy of "Third Division" still intact

Despite the liberation of Syria, the residents of Quatifa in the Damascus countryside are still struggling to reclaim their stolen property rights, amidst urgent appeals to the relevant authorities to end the "military presence" that has plagued their lands for decades, a situation that remains unchanged even after liberation.

A massive military base with 48 sites... In the memory and reality of its inhabitants, Quatifa has become a massive military base; more than 48 military sites, including brigades, companies, and command headquarters, surround the city. This widespread deployment, which expanded under Bashar al-Assad, has not been limited to strategic locations but has also swallowed up vast areas of fertile agricultural land, transforming them from a source of livelihood for thousands of families into forbidden zones and centers of influence.

The Legacy of Shafiq Fayyad: Injustices Persist, Faces Change

The specter of the late Major General Shafiq Fayyad, former commander of the 3rd Armored Division, continues to haunt the farmers of Quatifa through a legacy of abuses that remain unresolved to this day. Among the most prominent of these abuses are:

- Seized Properties: Private land belonging to residents was converted into villas, olive groves, and military installations that remain standing and being exploited, far from their rightful owners.

- Destruction of the Agricultural Environment: Local springs were dried up as a result of the unjust military expansion, forcing farmers to irrigate their crops with sewage water from military housing – a scene that encapsulates the magnitude of the tragedy.

Liberation and the Stakes of Absent Justice

Residents and representatives of the city affirm that liberating the area from the regime did not end their real estate woes. These areas remain decidedly "military," and the lands remain trapped by the decisions that forcibly seized them.

The residents believe that it is necessary to sever the link between the military establishment and civilian property, and to restore rights to their owners who paid the price of steadfastness with their livelihoods and land.