Sending lists of names of more than 2000 people for the reserve services, and conscription in the Western Qalamoun pushes tens of young men to flee to the Lebanese territory to avoid persecution
Rif Dimashq Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the regime forces are still striving to recruit and force young men and boys to join the ranks of the “Homeland Army”, especially those of the areas that were recently controlled by military operations and “reconciliations and settlements “, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights continues to monitor the recruitment for compulsory and reserve service within regime’s army, where the Syrian Observatory learned from reliable sources that regime’s security branches through the General Recruitment Division has sent lists of more than 2000 names to towns and villages of the Western Qalamoun since the beginning of February almost daily, the names included the areas of Yabroud, al-Nabk, Deir Atiyah, Qara, Flita, Qastal, al-Sahl, Ras al-Ain and Rankous, where the lists were handed over to the Mukhtars of each area, and informed them to join as soon as possible in the reserve service in order to avoid being followed by the security, which caused a major dissatisfaction among people of the area who refused the displacement to the Syrian north, and the process of sending these lists comes with a great security checking at the main checkpoints in the vicinity and towns of the Western Qalamoun, searching for people wanted for the mandatory and reserves service, the sources told the Syrian Observatory that tens of young people fled from the western Qalamoun towards Lebanon fearing the arrest and the being taken to the reserve service, while the Syrian Observatory published on the 20th of February 2019 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored during the past few days a massive fortification by the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them for their checkpoints in the Eastern Ghouta with dirt barricades and concrete blocks, reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the checkpoints in the Eastern Ghouta and its surroundings, especially those located in the area between the capital and Eastern Ghouta had witnessed last week double fortification with dirt barricades and concrete blocks, after changing the checkpoint, where the regime forces replaced members of the “Republican Guards” with members from the branches of Air Intelligence and Military Security, to conduct more scrutiny inspections on the people who are getting out and entering the area, also -as local sources said- to tighten the security grip on the area especially with the bad reputation of both branches among the citizens, and their treatment, arrests, and torture, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 17th of February 2019 that a young man from Harasta city, was killed under torture inside the security detention centers of the regime forces after he was arrested at one of the checkpoints at the outskirts of the capital Damascus before 15 days, it is noteworthy that the young man had carried out a “reconciliation and a settlement” in Harasta city in the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, during the return of the regime’s control over the area there, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 14th of February 2019, that the regime forces killed a 17-year-old boy as he was passing a checkpoint west of Rif Dimashq, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory: the regime forces who are positioned in Mamlouk checkpoint on the outskirts of Zakyah town west of Rif Dimashq; opened fire directly at a young man as he was passing in a car near the checkpoint, where the sources confirmed that the car could not stop on the checkpoint so the checkpoint’s members shoot the car, killing a young man in the car, which sparked tension and discontent among the people because of these continuous behaviors that lead to casualties every time, while this tension among members of the regime forces comes after continuous operations in Daraa countryside and Rif Dimashq of writings on the walls, attacking checkpoints by unknown gunmen, and tearing pictures of the Syrian regime’s head, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 6th of February 2019 that the Syrian Observatory monitored in the recent days tearing the image of Syrian regime President, Bashar al-Assad in the square of Qudsaya area on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, accompanied by writing phrases against the Syrian regime on walls in the town, like: “the people want to overthrow the regime, Leave, Freedom Forever,” “followed by continues tension in the town searching for the perpetrators to detain them, also the phrases were removed from the walls on which they were written.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 22nd of December 2018 that several local sources in the south of Rif Dimashq confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that Yalda town -which witnessed the displacement of its fighters and residents who rejected the agreement of the “Reconciliation with the regime”- has been witnessing tension for about 48 hours, accompanied with security tightening in the town, where several locals confirmed that unknown gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on a security detachment of the regime forces on Yalda town south of Rif Dimashq, but no information about casualties, this was followed by closing the streets leading to the security detachment using concrete checkpoints by the regime forces, where this comes days of unknown people teared the picture of the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, which was hanging on the health center in the town, followed by arrests and raids in the town searching for the perpetrators.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 18th of December 2018 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from reliable sources that the Syrian regime has sent new lists, include the names of thousands of people wanted for the “reserve” service in Damascus and Rif Dimashq, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory, new lists were sent to the towns of Yalda, Babbila, and Beit Sahem in the south of Rif Dimashq, and al-Tal area in Rif Dimashq, and Barzeh neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of the capital, the lists include more than 5000 names of people wanted for the reserve service, the sources informed the Syrian Observatory that wanted people are of those born between 1976 and 1985, and that they have to hand themselves over within 15 days of they will be prosecuted and detained, the sources said that among the names there are large number of people who have been displaced to the Syrian north; after the displacement agreement that took place in May 2018, also the lists included names of civilians and fighters who died earlier when the factions used to control the area, they were killed in the aerial and missile bombardment and clashes against the regime forces, and in the same context also in Rif Dimashq: new lists of people wanted for the reserve service in regime’s army; have reached cities and towns of in the Eastern Ghouta, where about 1000 names arrived in Harasta, 800 in Douma, 700 in Arbin, and 300 in al-Abbadeh, as well as hundreds of other names scattered across cities and towns of the Eastern Ghouta.