Reporting by Maher Radhwan; Translation by Yusra Ahmed
HOMS (Zaman Al Wasl)- Rebels’ monitoring points have become an essential part of their battles against the Syrian regime and other supporting sectarian militias.
Those observatories started working in 2013 using simple equipments; they have become the main media source of information. Still little information is available about the work they do, and what the civilians and fighters think about them and who support their work.
Zaman al-Wasl visited observatory 44 in town of Holeh in Homs’s Northern countryside, in an attempt to explain some facts.
Amer, the founder of Observatory 44 told Zaman al-Wasl that the idea of the observatory started after Holeh’s massacre on 25th May 2012, where 200 people were killed.
He explained: ‘there are many observatories in Homs’s countryside; they monitor places of regime’s heavy arms and tanks, besides monitoring regime’s fighting warplanes’ taking-off from Hama’s and Homs’s airports and their directions, in cooperation with rebels’ observatories in Hama’s countryside, then we warn people via wireless equipments.”
Amer detailed that since Holeh is surrounded with 30 villages loyal to the Syrian regime, with a barrier for regime or its militias in each, besides Water ’s barrier, that was responsible for Holeh’s massacre, the observatory monitors the regime’s forces in all barriers and tapping their communications via wireless equipments, especially military orders at barriers of the water Company, Qirmos, Merimim and al-Hamira, which considered the most dangerous ones, as they shell civilians with rockets, long-distance mortars, and tanks.
Abo Jafar who works in the observatory 44 told Zaman al-Wasl: “the observatory covers an area of 50 square kilometers, where all battalions within that area are able to hear all messages and warnings, despite equipments are simple and primary, the observatory provides.
very important assistance to residents and fighters in the region by warning them to protect themselves from shelling, after that we monitor the place of shelling to direct the civil and medical services to treat injured people”
Abu Ala’a explained that working in the observatory is dangerous, because they were many time subject to shelling, as they many times caught messages of orders to bomb the observatory.
He sadly confirmed that they do not receive any support from anybody, even the interim government or the National Coalition. “We are a voluntary initiative, aim to protect our people.”
Abu Amr, a resident in Northern Homs’s countryside told Zaman al-Wasl that observatories do not only warn people of regime’s near bombing, but they provide people and social media with latest rebels’ news and victories to enhance people’s and rebels’morale.
Abu Amr expressed his happiness and satisfaction with the job the observatories provide. “The monitoring can help in reducing the effect of regime’s shelling and bombing, as soon as people hear the warning, they run to hide in protected places in their homes and neighborhoods”.
Abu Osama from the revolutionary Coordinators requested supporting the work of observatories, by providing neighborhoods with wireless stations connected to the observatories to improve connection.
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