As the operation to restore Deir Ezzor province approaches, the “Islamic State” organization announces “general alarm in al-Khair State” and threatens to “compulsory conscription”

After the calls of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and previous campaign failed to bring donation and volunteers, the command of al-Khair State impose “compulsory recruitment” on the young men of Dier Ezzor

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from several reliable sources that the “Islamic State” organization imposed a “general and compulsory recruitment” on young men aged between 20 to 30 years old, and forced them to join the organization’s recruitment camps in order to “confront the attacks of Nusaiyriah against the protectors of the Islamic State in al-Khair State”, and the organization warned those who evades the recruitment to be forced later to join it compulsorily. This alarm came a week after the regime forces were able to enter the administrative border of Deir Ezzor, coming from the eastern countryside of al-Raqqa and going deep into the western countryside of the province, in an attempt to turn around al-Bushra Mountain and another mountain adjacent to it, which will allow the regime forces to impose control by firearm over large areas of the countryside of Deir Ezzor.

The activists of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in Deir Ezzor province obtained a copy of the statement issued by the organization of the “Islamic State” in “al-Khair State” in which it declares “general mandatory recruitment on the Muslim young men who are able to fight in al-Khair State and aged between 20 to 30 years old and no one is excluded from this conscription except for those who have legitimate excuses, in order to confront the attacks of Nusayriyah against the religion, persons, money, women and the Muslim protectors of al-Khair State”. The statement added: “the recruiters, who will join the fight and Jihad and confront the attacks, will be treated just as the Mujahdeen and the soldiers of the Islamic State, and they will be subjected to legitimate and military session and are entitled to join the army in the Islamic State according to the conditions of recruitment without being subjected to a new camp and will directly join the army. All Muslim young men of the people under the rule of the Emir in al-Khair State are required to go to “conscripts office immediately within a week from the date of the announcement as a maximum, given that those who will evade this, will be held accountable, and their recruitment will be compulsory, and the registration and revision will be through the recruiters office in al-Khair State which are located in the following areas (al-Mayadeen – al-Ishara – al-Koryiah – al-Tabani – Al-Khadraa – al-Bulail – Sabikhan – Bukrus)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published earlier that several reliable sources confirmed to the SOHR that ISIS launched a campaign a few days ago under the name “Equally a Mujahid is he who prepares one”. Sources also confirmed that the campaign aims at raising funds from civilians and the residents of ISIS-controlled areas for funding its activities. However, their calls have not yielded any support from the local residents. Therefore, the mosque preachers in ISIS-controlled areas focused their Friday speeches on “gaining support for the campaign”.  This campaign comes a few weeks after the failure of another one launched by ISIS under the name “Answer the Call for Jihad” in the areas it controls in Deir Ezzor and Al-Raqqah countryside. Specifically, the SOHR observed and documented back then that ISIS launched in May 2017 a campaign under the name “Answer the Call for Jihad” based on a note issued by ISIS leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, to the “Muslim Masses” calling for “mass mobilization to defend the Islamic Caliphate Territories” aiming at attracting the Syrian youth and the displaced to ISIS-controlled areas in Deir Ezzor, Al-Raqqah, Al-Hasakah countryside and Homs desert and at convincing them to volunteer in the ranks of ISIS. Local sources confirmed to the SOHR that ISIS, that circulated the note on mosque preachers in areas under its control, aimed at calling for volunteers on the pretext of “repelling the attack of the Kurdish atheists and the crusaders on Al-Raqqah”.

The “Answer the Call for Jihad” campaign was coupled then with a series of religious speeches at the mosques within the areas controlled by ISIS in Al-Raqqah and Deir Ezzor which are parts of the “States of Al-Raqqah, Al-Kheir and Euphrates”. Those speeches were intended to galvanize Muslim communities and induce them to fighting. Numerous local sources confirmed to the SOHR that those Friday speeches were focused on reading the Inducement note by Amir Al-Mu’minin (Leader of the Faithful) Abu Bakr El-Baghdadi”. The same sources also informed the SOHR that the note which was ascribed to the leader of ISIS includes a clear inducement and mobilization call on Muslims living in all the territories controlled by the Islamic Caliphate to engage in communal Jihadist activities in Al-Raqqah, so as to repel massive offensives on the city led by the Kurdish atheists and the crusaders. Similarly, the SOHR was informed by local sources that ISIS speeches and religious teachings at the mosques of Al-Raqqah were mainly intended to emphasize the importance of defending Islamic faith itself in case ISIS loses control of any of the cities, towns or villages. They also focused on instructing Muslims not to follow on the path of converts who flee away to the areas controlled by the infidels and start adapting to their Smoking and indecent habits. Some mosque preachers went even further to dub those fleeing civilians to the areas controlled by the “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces as “Indecent and Immoral” having fled the territories of ISIS and sought refuge instead in the arms of the atheists and crusaders.

It is also worth mentioning that SOHR activists observed, during the second half of last February 2017, that ISIS affiliate mosque preachers had dedicated their Friday speeches in Deir Ezzor and its countryside to galvanizing and inducing those attending the prayers to fight against the ruling regime. The mosque preachers told those attending the prayers that they received a message from Al-Baghdadi urging Muslims in Deir Ezzor to liberate their city from Christian occupation, that they have to join their brothers in Jihad, and that those interested have to register their names at the office of the Governor of El-Kheir State and with other Emirs so that they get prepared for fighting.