DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Hamad left his home in areas under the control of Iranian-backed militias after he and his brothers were threatened because they refused to join Iranian-backed groups. They refused because of the ideological training they would have undergone before being officially recruited.
Hamad al-Nasser, 36, a resident of the town of Abu Kamal in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, moved with his family to the town of Baghuz in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, held by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), after his brothers received several threats to join the Iranian-backed militias and undergo training on the Shiite doctrine. They were arrested for rejecting to change their beliefs and because they criticized the Shiite doctrine in front of a relative who is a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), trying to convince them to join him.
Temptation, Exploitation
Iran seeks to change the region demographically through recruiting the youth in Deir ez-Zor, taking advantage of the grim financial status, religious and tribal matters, and those who evade serving in the compulsory military service of the Syrian government forces.
Iran uses all these circumstances to increase the number of its militants to strengthen its influence and enhance its position as a military force amid the presence of other rivals such as Russia.
Al-Nasser added that his three brothers underwent a two-month-long ideological training. After graduation, recruiters from the IRGC attempted to enroll them into their ranks, but they always refused because they did not like the actions of the militia and preferred not to join armed groups.
He said that recently “the threats and pressure were intensified against us. The IRGC patrols started arresting my brothers for ridiculous reasons. All this to pressure them into joining their ranks.”
According to activists who spoke to North Press, Iran resorted to recruiters to enlist as many as possible of the youth in Deir ez-Zor into its militias to implement its plans in the region. Iran adopted this policy so that the locals would not stand in the way of its expanding project in Deir ez-Zor, exploiting differences in doctrines to gain the loyalty of the population.
Iran entered Deir ez-Zor at the end of 2017 under the pretense of backing the Syrian government forces against the Islamic State (ISIS). After the fighting ended, Iran began promoting its ideology and expanding its military influence in the region.
In order not to face local opposition, Iran began attracting sheiks, leaders, and youth of the tribes via religion first. It then exploited the poor living conditions and lack of job opportunities to lure the youth who were wanted by the security apparatuses of the government forces for compulsory and reserve military service.
The locals were devastated and preoccupied by the deteriorating economic conditions caused by the war. Therefore Iran tried to demonstrate itself as the sole savior in the region that would improve the security and economic situation. Iran gradually lured the leaders and influential figures along with the youth and involved them in its colonial project.
Recruited to be protected
Ahmad al-Ali, a pseudonym of a militant of the Iranian-backed Liwa al-Quds militia, 28, resorted with his family to Lebanon when fighting first erupted in Deir ez-Zor. After the end of battles in the west of the Euphrates River in Deir ez-Zor, families were allowed to return to their homes in the town of al-Mayadin in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor. Al-Ali’s family returned to their town, but he remained in Lebanon because he was wanted for compulsory military service.
He told North Press, “A few months after my family returned, a recruiter called Abu Ali al-Qaraani, contacted me, upon my family’s request, to safely transport me to the town via a Hezbollah officer’s car for $500.”
After paying the money, he passed from Homs Governorate, central Syria, to Deir ez-Zor and reached his house in the town of al-Mayadin. He said, “Two days later, al-Qaraani asked me to join an Iranian-backed militia for a salary of 250,000 Syrian Pounds (SYP, which equaled more than $100 at the time) to protect me from compulsory military service.”
Al-Ali underwent training in the Imam Ali camp for nearly three months, then was transferred to fight with Liwa al-Quds militia.
The youth prefer to join the IRGC and the Iranian-backed militias rather than the government forces for several reasons, including the high salaries offered by Iran compared to those of the government forces. In addition, the Iranian-backed militants have more influence, and they will not be pursued or oppressed by the government forces.
As soon as they join, the militias fully protect them and their families, and provide housing for them from houses whose owners live outside that region.
Recruiters
Iran has many offices for joining its militias in different regions of Deir ez-Zor. The most prominent of those offices are located in al-Mayadin, Abu Kamal, and Hatlah in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor. All these offices are affiliated with the Iranian cultural center in Deir ez-Zor, which is supervised by Iranian proselytizers and receives orders directly from the IRGC.
These offices and cultural centers mostly recruit youth between the ages of 18-30 and subject them to ideological training in order to change their beliefs. Then, they are transferred to training camps affiliated with the IRGC that are located in several towns in Deir ez-Zor, such as al-Hamdan camp in Abu Kamal and another camp in al-Mayadin.
Iran seeks to open other camps and centers in inhabited areas to attract more individuals and recruit them in its ranks. Iran aims to promote the Shiite doctrine and change the demographics of the region as part of a larger plan to complete its Shiite crescent project.
Al-Ali told North Press that he joined them because al-Qaraani pressured him of “the Syrian regime’s” security apparatuses.
“I had no choice but to join the Iranian-backed militias to evade being detained. Many of my friends in the town had joined their ranks,” he added.
An activist in Deir ez-Zor said that Iran, through its policies, was able to gain affection and win the trust of the tribes in areas west of Euphrates River. Iran could comprise a lot of the population through using small sums of money and using its recruiters.
All these actions and transgressions take place amid inaction from the government forces who fear armed clashes with Iranians and because of the tribes’ support for the IRGC, such as al-Baggara tribe led by Sheikh Nawaf al-Basir, the right hand of the IRGC in Deir ez-Zor.