Exclusive report | Arm dealers in HTS-held areas sell weapons online through Facebook

Despite all efforts exerted by HTS to put an end to proliferation of arms in the areas under its control, arms dealers have recently used a new method for promoting their goods through posting them on social networking sites, especially Facebook.

 

SOHR activists have monitored tens of groups on Facebook run by arms dealers and contain a large number of pictures of medium and light weapons which are offered for sale online with different prices, including Russian rifles “Kalashnikov”, machine guns, grenades, pistols and other military equipment.

 

Recently, this phenomenon has spread widely due to the tight measures by HTS on arm dealers and the increasing incidents of manslaughters and murders among civilians.

 

Arm dealers promote their weapons on Facebook groups in different prices. The Russian rifles, for example, are sold for 150 to 400$ each, pistols of various calibers are sold for 100 to 1000$ each, while grenades are sold for 10 to 30$ each. Thousands of people interact with these groups in order to buy or sell weapons.

 

A journalist from south Idlib countryside known by his initials as M.H. told SOHR “arm dealers and owners turned to promote their weapons on social media, especially Facebook pages, as there is no surveillance and no one can prevent them from selling and buying various types of weapons unlike in weapon stores.

 

M.H. has pointed out that this phenomenon has become widely prevalent and increases dramatically, in which weapons are sold on Facebook as any other product. Moreover, the groups which are promoting weapons are more dangerous than shops due to the huge number of these groups and the lack surveillance and standards that may control such trade, as everyone can buy and own weapons, no matter how good they are in using these weapons.

 

Talking about the reasons pushing civilians to own personal weapons, the journalist said “there are many reasons behind civilians’ possession of weapons such as self-defense, especially in light of the current security chaos, using them in fights, brag about them and other private purposes. However, these reasons do not obviate the need to control weapons trade and prevent civilians from buying weapons randomly. Proliferation of weapons among civilians have a lot of disadvantages appeared in early 2015 when opposition rebel factions and Jihadi groups captured the entire city and countryside of Idlib, which facilitated the opening of weapons stores due to the security instability and chaos at that time.”

 

In a testimony to SOHR, a man known by his initials as A.K. who has been displaced from the western countryside of Hama to Kafr Takharime in the northern countryside of Idlib said “the proliferation of weapons created security chaos and significant increase in thefts, kidnappings and fights due to the misuse of weapons and being  available for everyone without finding workable solutions to put an end to this crisis. Infightings and brandishings by civilians take place almost every week cases, especially inside refugee camps, as well as manslaughters and indiscriminate gunfire on occasions. All of these incidents are attributed to the significant spread of weapons and the lack of civilians’ awareness about threats posed by the possession of weapons, especially when they are within the reach of children or individuals who have no experience to use weapons in a safe way.”

 

The displaced man also assured that HTS will never be able to disarm civilians or blockade the sources where civilians get weapons, as social networking sites offer selling and buying processes through direct communication without need to go to stores. Accordingly, civilians can possess weapons as long as there is security instability.

 

On January 25, 2021, Ministry of Interior Affairs of the Salvation Government issued a decision, closing all weapon stores in Idlib city and countryside and canceling their licenses. The Ministry of Interior Affairs also gave 15 days to apply the decision, under penalty of accountability for the violators. The decision was issued following the repeated explosions inside weapon stores which left civilian casualties.

 

Another decision had been issued on October 12, 2020, obligating all owners of individual weapons to license their weapons in order to put an end to the proliferation and misuse of weapons and indiscriminate gunfire, so that civilians can be kept safe.