Iran pressures youth in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor into joining militias

By Maher Mustafa

DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Prompted by dire living conditions and fear of security persecution, Ahmad had to join the ranks of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as it was the best choice in terms of protection and salaries.

Ahmad al-Ahmad, 30, a pseudonym for a militant in the IRGC, joined the Iranian-backed militia after areas in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor became similar to a military colony.

The countryside of Deir ez-Zor, or areas in the west of the Euphrates River, are controlled by the Syrian government forces supported by Iranian-backed militias. However, gradually these militias became the higher ruling authority.

The Iranian-backed militias imposed their control over areas in the west of the Euphrates River, only formally affiliated with government forces.

The militias started to recruit young people to enhance their military power, taking advantage of the dire economic conditions of the locals.

The region sustained great destruction and the population was financially exhausted by the displacement to outside the region, not to mention low wages and lack of job opportunities.

Al-Ahmad told North Press that he joined these militias due to poverty and fear of persecution by government security apparatus. Moreover, he was tempted by the financial incentives, granting of relief aid and protection from persecution by the government forces.

The man and a group of young men from his area joined the IRGC in 2018, through the “Friends” office, which later turned into a cultural center.

“At that time, our number did not exceed dozens from the town, unlike now, which exceeds thousands. There is hardly a house in the town of al-Mayadin that does not have an individual within the ranks of the IRGC or its militias,” al-Ahmad said.

Deir ez-Zor has a great importance for the IRGC to create military forces consisting of locals on the ground for the long-run to fill the void left by a potential withdrawal of its foreign militants from Syria.

The importance of Deir ez-Zor for the IRGC lies in its location, which connects Iran via Iraq with Syria and Lebanon.

Nasser al-Muhammad, 37, a resident from the town of Abu Kamal, joined one of the Iranian-backed militias after being harassed by militants who joined them.

Some young men from the region who joined Iranian-backed militias began to use their authority to “achieve personal interests and material gains,” he told North Press.

“Even civil matters and food rations were shared by relatives of the militants. The militants and those who had relatives within these militias had control and power,” al-Muhammad added.

If someone wanted to get any service or commodity, he would have to wait for hours in queues without getting anything, whereas the militants and their relatives would obtain what they wanted without waiting in queues.

After the deterioration of the economic conditions and increasing harassment, al-Nasser joined the Iranian-backed Liwa al-Quds militia. “Then, things changed and I started to regain my rights,” he said.

Iran tries to pressure residents of the countryside of Deir ez-Zor and deny them their rights. By not creating job opportunities for them, Iran forces the young men to join its militias. “If you are not a militant in an Iranian-backed militia, you have not chance to live,” al-Nasser noted.

Local activists from Deir ez-Zor told North Press, “The IRGC seeks to starve and oppress the residents to pressure the young men to join its militias and turn them later into mercenaries to deploy them on the border or in the desert that witnesses assassination and repeated attacks by ISIS.”

The Iranian militias provide protection for young people wanted for compulsory military service of the government forces. Therefore, they prefer these Iranian militias because they are given high salaries compared to what any soldier receives within government forces.

They grant $200 as a monthly salary. They also provide protection for those wanted by Syrian security agencies, “especially those who participated in demonstrations calling for “the overthrowing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.”

The IRGC has several offices in the towns of Deir ez-Zor, especially in eastern areas to continue recruiting more Syrians in its ranks.