Sectarian plans to divide Homs: former security says

Translation by Yusra Ahmed

HOMS (Zaman Al Wasl)- A former member of the political security, An alawite from Homs, revealed details about the “Shiite Crimes” in the city.

In his letter to Zaman al-Wasl he expressed his wish to reveal information he obtained during his service with regime’s security forces in Homs and from events happened to him and his friends.

Zaman al-Wasl anonymously publishes the former security member's stories in his words, with some clarification for some expression.

The security member told a story in beginning of troubles in Homs, when a 20-year-old van's driver from the village of al-Mazraa of Alawite majority, threw a bomb on a barrier for them “the security”, then when he was captured, he claimed that he thought the barrier belonged to the Free Syrian Army FSA. “But at the time there was no barriers for the FSA”, later on, our supervisor told us to keep silent and not to speak about the incidence.

Another time when Colonel Saleh Saqr was hurt, another officer from Dier Ezzor replaced him, he went through a truce with the FSA for a month. However, the peace was disrupted when three men fired the security forces barrier, then the FSA’s fighters shot the attackers, and denied any relation to them, then it was discovered that the attackers were from the village of al-Mazraa.

Another shooting incidence killed 8 young men, after investigation, it was found that attacker were from al-Mazraa.

The security member mentioned some plans to initiate the sectarian division in Homs, when 3 young men from Wadi al-Dahab were killed and their bodies were thrown in al-Kharab Street in al-Waer. However, when the security forces investigated and questioned a man was seen near the bodies, he confirmed that bodies were thrown from a van for a man from al-Mazraa village, as he was with other 4 men. “Following this incidence, our men, the Alawite, attacked stalls and shops of Homsi and destroyed them” the member said.

"The killing of a 60-year-old man from Akrima was another incidence played a role in provoking the sectarian division in Homs" the security member added and detailed that the man was killed by a member from the troop 3 by mistake, when he wanted to bypass the barrier via a lateral road. “however, when I went home for a-two-days leave, the story of the old man’s death was spread differently in al-Nazha, Akrima and Wadi al-Dahab neighbourhood, as all were convinced that people from Baba Amr had killed him and cut him into pieces, I was prevented from telling the truth as others found it would better to tell the story like that as it would benefit us from sectarian side”

The member told a story when the security forces invaded Baba Amr, and capture 40 men from the neighbourhood on the main road near al-Soltaniyah, they were accompanied by members of the security forces and Syrian Army soldiers. After a while 5 vans came from al-Mazraa village and heavily shot on all, where many men and soldiers and security forces were killed”

The man ended his letter telling an incidence happen to his cousin, as a car driven by a member from the National Defence forces, was found to have explosive device, and it was meant to be taken to Akrima, an Alawite neighborhood, to explode there. The officer responsible for the barrier warned all members to keep silent and not to say anything about the incidence. “That explained many explosions in regime’s loyal areas, where only the regime’s forces and loyal militias can enter", the former security member ended.