Likewise all Syrian areas |Demographic changes take place in western al-Ghouta via purchase of real estate for interest of Iran-backed militia

Damascus province: Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activists have documented that Iran had continued tirelessly its expansion inside the Syrian lands. SOHR sources in western al-Ghouta in Damascus have reported expansion in the purchase process of real estate in the city of Ma’madyat al-Sham where its populations hade been deported several year ago, and other areas in West al-Ghouta. The purchase deals have been concluded by merchants and persons from Deir Ezzor with direct orders from Iran-backed militia of non-Syrian nationals.
The traders, who directly are connected to Iran-backed militia, offer generous amounts of money to the real estate brokers and offices in the area and they recently, bought dozens of real estates like the case in eastern al-Ghouta by the same network of militia. Such practices are directly listed under the systematic demographic change that has become the prominent feature in all the Syrian lands while only the Syrian civilians are paying the heavy prices of such changes.
On April 15, SOHR sources from inside eastern Ghouta in countryside of the capital Damascus, say that merchants hail from the city of Mayadeen in Deir ez-Zor, affiliated with the local militia “Liwa’a Al-Abbas” loyal to and operate under the Iranian forces’ command, continue to buy real estate from residents across eastern Ghouta, through “Abu Yasser al-Bakary”, who has previously bought many properties in various areas in astern Ghouta at the orders of “A.A.”, the leader of a pro-Iranian militia.
According to Syrian Observatory sources, the purchases were recently concentrated in the areas of the southern sector of astern Ghouta, in the areas of Zabdin, Deir al-Assafir, Hatitet Al-Turkman and Al-Meliha, where they bought large number of plots, houses, restaurants and parks which have been damaged by earlier military operations. They also bought about 100 houses in the city of al-Meliha, some of which are almost completely destroyed.
Meanwhile, negotiations between these militias and the owners of real estate offices are under way to buy buildings belong to people living abroad, as their properties were completely destroyed due to airstrikes during military operations.
Recently, they began to search for destroyed buildings to buy from their owners, for unknown reasons, after they were purchasing shops and habitable houses, while they bought a large number of parks and restaurants in the areas of Hatitet al-Turkmen, Deir al-Assafir and Zabdin from their owners during the recent period.
On November 20, 2020, Reliable SOHR sources in eastern Ghouta have recently reported increasing number of real estate purchases in the towns and cities of Ghouta by a group of people working for dealers from Deir Ezzor. These people buy real estates, mostly houses and some shops, at the orders of the dealers. However, the fact that all these real estates are kept closed after being sold has been seen as worrisome.
According to SOHR sources, these dealers are from Al-Mayadeen countryside in eastern Deir Ezzor and affiliated to the Iranian-backed local militias of “Al-Abbas Brigade”. The most prominent dealer is a man from Al-Bakarah tribe called Abu Yasser Al-Bakary, who has bought many properties in Deir Ezzor at the direct orders of Adnan Al-Abbas, the leader of “Al-Abbas Brigade”.
Such purchases are concentrated in eastern Ghouta, particularly in Kafr Batna, Hazza, Saqba, Ain Tarma, Al-Mulayha and Zamalka. These deals included real estates which have been for sale and other properties whose owners have been displaced to northern Syria or travelled overseas, via brokers of both sides.
It is worth noting that the number of real estates purchased by “Al-Abbas Brigade” in the past few months exceeded 300, while the value of each real estate sold during this period ranged between 25 million SYL and 125 million SYL, according to the size and location of the real estate.
SOHR sources have confirmed that these processes are on the march, as representatives of these dealers, carrying individual guns, pay periodical visits to real estate offices in eastern Ghouta where they ask about properties available for sale, and ask these offices’ owners to inform them as soon as new properties become available on the market.
Such suspicious and uncertain developments in the area have triggered the residents’ fear and worry over the purposes and reasons behind the purchase of a large number of real estates in their cities and towns.