Increased resentment and tension in Barza area in light of the continued arbitrary campaigns of regime’s intelligence which arrested more than 150 people in 2 months
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that tension is growing in Barzeh area at Damascus, because of the continued raids and arrests for about two months by regime’s intelligence and its security services, which caused the arrest of more than 150 people of former leaders and fighters of the factions who carried out “settlements and reconciliations”, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored intense patrols in the neighborhood by the Air Intelligence of the regime force in the neighborhood, in addition to position there permanently and carrying out raids on a daily basis searching for wanted people for compulsory and reserve service and other “charges”, the regime’s intelligence also tries to monitor the citizens’ communications by monitoring their calls with the Syrian north and follow up with those wanted people, where the Syrian Observatory monitored numerous arrests of civilians who had “called their relatives in the Syrian north”, which is under the control of the rebel and Islamic Factions and Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 25th of December 2018 that members of the military security branch raided the house of the former commander of the first brigade, Abu al-Tayyib, where they found USD 100$ bills, gold, and individual weapons, where the military security forces confiscated them, without arresting Abu al-Tayyib’s family, who is accused of collecting large sums of money in the tunnel trade between the Eastern Ghouta and Barzeh district, who was arrested after being summoned by the regime forces on the 21st of November 2018, within the anti-corruption operation they led in Barzeh area, knowing that he carried out a settlement during the entry of the regime forces to the neighborhood, The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 22nd of November 2018 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from reliable sources that the Air Force Intelligence branch of the regime forces issued circulars to arrest all people who carried out “settlement and reconciliation” operations with the regime forces in Barzeh area, which is located on the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus, especially the leaders and members of the 1st Brigade, for what they called “fighting the corruption system”, where the Air Force intelligence carried out a campaign of raids and arrests this morning, targeted houses of people close to leaders of the 1st Brigade in the neighborhood of Barzeh, and houses of 2 former leaders of the 1st Brigade who are working for the Iranian Forces, where they fled, where members and leaders who carried out “settlement” and “reconciliation” are fleeing from Barzeh neighbourhood, under a continuous security campaign by the Air Force Intelligence branch in the neighborhood.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 21st of November 2018 that Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from several reliable sources, who confirmed that the Air Force intelligence in Barzeh neighborhood at Damascus summoned Abu al-Tayyib, the former commander of the 1st Brigade, which used to belong to the Southern Front and operates in Barzeh area, before the regime forces controlled the area, the regime also called the leaders known as ((Abu Mahjoub, Moro, and Abu Fouad al-Habashi), where they were summoned to the Air Intelligence headquarters in Barzeh in the eastern section of the capital Damascus, and then they were transferred to Harasta branch to investigate them in previous cases, although they all carried out “settlement and reconciliation with the regime” during the previous months. This arrest comes as a part of the arrests made against those who previously made settlements with the regime, and the sources also confirmed that other leaders are hiding despite being summoned by the regime to come for investigation.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 2nd of March 2017, that a rebel Brigade active in neighborhood Barzeh made an operation headed to the capital of Damascus fail, and in the details that the Syrian Observatory was informed of; Barzeh neighborhood east of Damascus witnessed an alert among fighters of this brigade, in conjunction with an alert in the ranks of the regime forces, after a part of the brigade told regime’s checkpoints that there are movements among the Islamic factions, notably Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, the movement of Ahrar al-Sham and the Jaysh al-Islam, to carry out a major military action, and that the fighters of these factions who have been prepared for this operation; will move from Barzeh neighborhood to turn around the checkpoints around Barzeh, in which members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them are positioned, and then they will attack in order to advance to Damascus, and the sources confirmed to the Observatory that the military action of the factions was scheduled to start this morning, and as thousands of fighters have entered Barza neighborhood, fighters from the brigade working in Barza which who entered a “reconciliation” with the regime since 2014, and its fighters are position at mutual checkpoints with the regime in the vicinity of Barza neighborhood, they informed the regime of the presence of military action in the neighborhood towards the capital Damascus and its details, after which the alert started among regime’s checkpoints in the vicinity of Barza, in addition to putting snipers of this brigade on roofs of buildings, to monitor all the streets and main areas in the neighborhood of Barza, where reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, that groups of the rebel brigade operating in Barzeh accepted this operation, while other groups did not agree to this operation and reported to the regime that there are a military operation that aim to carry out a large attack and enter the capital Damascus, while the number of fighters prepared for the operation and those who entered the neighborhood were about 5000 fighters of the Islamic factions, and the factions pointed that this is the second time this brigade working in the Barzeh neighborhood has thwarted a large-scale operation intended to enter and control al-Assad Suburb, while Jaysh al-Islam managed to control heights near the suburb and in the outskirts of in the Eastern Ghouta.