Al-Raqqah Governorate – Syrian Observatory for Human Rights:

SOHR sources have reported that patrols of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launched a large-scale campaign in the city of Raqqa, in search of young people for mandatory conscription.

According to Syrian Observatory sources, military patrols have been patrolling the streets of Raqqa city for several days to date, in addition to the deployment of some temporary checkpoints inside the city, where members of SDF’s patrols and checkpoints arrested dozens of young men and took them to SDF camps to perform “mandatory conscription”.

On March 7, reliable SOHR sources in Manbij area, which is under the control of “Manbij Military Council” in eastern Aleppo, confirmed that the military police and Self-Defence Forces launched a large-scale campaign in Manbij city and countryside with the aim to drive young males to mandatory conscription. Makeshift checkpoints have been deployed and surprise raids have been carried out, arresting young males randomly in the area. The campaign resulted in the arrest of 239 young males in a few hours, and they were taken to security centres in order to check their ages. Everyone found under eighteen has been released, while the other young men of conscript age have been taken to military camps.

According to SOHR sources, the security forces arrested the young men in a humiliating way and insulted everyone resisting, which ignited popular anger.

Sources reported that several commanders of the campaign took bribes in return for releasing the arrested young men, which reached 500 USD each.