Baladi News – (Rima Mohammed)
Since the Syrian regime started to resort to sectarian militias to fight in its ranks, regular soldiers began to show anger and dissatisfaction at their low salaries and benefits compared to the Shiite and Alawite militants.
Syrians understand that the 5 years old war will not end soon, which means that the regime will continue arresting young people and send them to battle fields, whereas the supporting sectarian militias invite the regime supporters to volunteer in order to compensate for their heavy losses in battles against rebels, some of which turn into genocides against these militias.
The so called “Forces of Protecting Syria, al-Hussein Lions” is one of these sectarian militias. It is supported by Maher al-Assad and led by his cousin, Hussein Tawfiq al-Assad, to apparently protect the villages of Lattakia countryside and some of Assad’s family members. The militia offered to legalize the status of military draft evaders for a salary of 80 thousand Syrian Pounds for those who accept to fight on Palmyra front, which is equivalent to 160 U.S. Dollars, and 50 thousand Syrian Pounds for the fighters on Lattakia front, which is equivalent to 100 U.S. Dollars. This means that each militant in these forces will earn 1.5 times the salary of a regular soldier, which is equivalent to 60 U.S. dollars.
The announcement was a subject of ridicule by some Syrian regime soldiers. One of them commented on the announcement that was posted in “Jableh News Network”, “Anyone who goes is crazy. I have been a reserve soldier for four years, and I feel as if I were a dog.”
Others described the announcement as a comedy. Mohammed Ahmed said, “Only 80 thousands for Palmyra and 50 thousands for lattakia! This is really shameful”. Another member, calling himself “Assad’s Commando”, “I should escape, why stay here!”
Reports indicate that the Alawite sect would face a serious demographic threat if its losses continue at the current pace. A regime army officer said in an interview with the Italian Aki news agency, “The Alawite sect has lost 40% of its young men. More than 130 thousands were killed in battles in Syria.” Activists also report that the villages of Lattakia, and particularly those surrounding Qardaha city, receives dozens of dead soldiers corpses on daily basis, add to them larger numbers of the wounded and disabled, who can be seen everywhere.
Avoiding the Genocide
To avoid the same fate, Iran resorted to pushing Shiite Afghani and Iraqi militias in the first rows in the most dangerous areas. Hundreds of recordings showed Iraqi and Afghan militants held captives by the rebel forces in addition to hundreds of casualties.
Another concern for Assad’s regime Syrian supporters is prioritizing the lives of the foreign militants over their lives. In many occasions, the Syrian regime entered negotiations with the rebels to exchange or release Iranian, Afghan, and Iraqi prisoners, neglecting the native Syrian soldiers.