FSA arrests number of its fighters over defection attempt near Damascus

(Reporting by Abu Abdullah al-Hourani; Translation by Yusra Ahmed)

Free Syrian Army arrested number of its fighters during a defection attempt in Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus to join regime forces last Saturday, rebel source said.

Abu Abdul Rahman, Commander of Golan Turkmen Battalion, reported to Zaman al-Wasl that his battalion and Dhoha al-Islam Battalion have caught a group of 15 fighters, most of them from Thiyabiyah and Husseiniyeh suburbs, in their way to hand themselves to regime’s forces in their full arms following the act of al-Anfal Battalion when its members hand themselves to regime to work as National Defence Militias.

Abu Abdul Rahman explained that the group had coordinated with Abu Mazen, al-Anfal’s leader, and Najib al-Bikhit to transfer them to Thiyabiyah to join the National Defence forces.

Commander of Golan Turkmen Battalion detailed that clashes and fire-exchange with the running-away group took place after discovering their plans trying to cross Thalathin road to meet the regime’s forces, where they were surrounded and prevented from leaving, except one, who managed to run away to regime’s side. The commander explained that they would refer the caught members to Sharea court to judge them.

Zaman al-Wasl tried to explore reasons behind the reverse-defection from the Free Syrian Army’s side to regime’s by asking Mohammed al-Hafiz, one of the group tried to defect from the Free Syrian Army in detention centre, he explained: “hunger, poverty and anger among the Free Syrian Army members beside the feeling of unfairness because food and other materials enter areas that had reconciled with the regime, while they in siege areas don’t find a thing to eat, were behind the phenomena. He added that regime promised them of amount of money, other concessions and freedom to move in Damascus when they leave southern Damascus.

Abu Abdul Rahman find that reverse defection in Southern Damascus had increased because of weak belief and patience among large number of people besides hunger and poverty and internal conflict and discrimination between areas in level of living, where the areas of defected members suffered of difficult living conditions like Husseniyeh, Thiyabiyeh, Hajjira, Babila and hajar Aswad.

The Commander thought that regime tried to evacuate the liberated areas from fighters and arms, as the regime conditioned defected fighters to bring their arms with them as a price to let them out, to reach to a state of an area empty of fighters and arms.