By Omar Abdurrahman
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – After years of iron-fisted control by Iranian-backed militias over Deir ez-Zor Governorate in eastern Syria, the region has experienced a political and military earthquake marked by the collapse of the Assad regime’s grip and the expulsion of those militias. However, the fate of the local militants has raised fears and questions among residents: Where have the thousands gone?
In 2017, Iran entered the western bank of the Euphrates River in Deir ez-Zor to support al-Assad forces in their fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). Iran, through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militias, controlled all areas stretching from Deir ez-Zor city to the border town of Abu Kamal, along with seven villages east of the Euphrates.
Some fled to Iraq
Ahmad al-Ahmad (a pseudonym), a former member of an Iranian-backed militia, said, “I was wanted by the regime’s security branches, and recruitment happened through coercion or money.”
Speaking to North Press, Ahmad added, “They used to pay me $150 a month, which felt like a fortune during wartime.”
He continued, “When the regime collapsed, our Iranian commanders received orders to disperse. Some of the people I knew fled to Iraq using smuggling routes through the Syrian-Iraqi desert.”
Ahmad said many militants who were part of his militia remain in the area. “I still see them daily, but they rarely leave the homes or places they’re hiding in.”
He noted that Iranian commanders fled in private cars to Iraq, “leaving us behind to face the consequences.”
While a small number managed to escape to Iraqi territory, local security forces have detained a limited number. Many are asking: Where are the rest? Are they still hiding in the area, or have they completely vanished?
Changed identities
A military source from the General Security Directorate of the Syrian transitional government in Deir ez-Zor, who requested anonymity, told North Press: “We have arrested around 500 members of Iranian-backed militias since the collapse of the al-Assad regime, including some mid- and low-level leaders.”
The source added, “Based on the information we have, 35 percent fled to Iraq, 30 percent are living in the community under changed identities, and the rest are sleeper cells conducting revenge operations and waiting for any security vacuum to strike.”
“We are working with neighboring countries to track down fugitives, but it’s easy for individuals to hide in Deir ez-Zor due to several factors—tribal protection for those involved, a weak intelligence system, and the difficult conditions in the region,” the source said.
According to the military official, “Overlapping accounts from residents, regime sources, and former militants paint a complex picture: some have become ghosts in Iraq, others shadows among civilians, and a few have fallen into the hands of justice.”
Ongoing fear and uncertainty
Mohammad Zain, a local merchant in Deir ez-Zor, told North Press, “We used to live under constant pressure, and many families lost their sons in the fighting. Now that [the militias] are gone, there’s some hope—but we still do not know where they went.”
Zain added, “Their armored vehicles used to chase young men to force them into joining. Today, they are like ghosts. I saw some of them burning documents at night between civilian homes before vanishing. The fear still haunts us—will they come back?”
Ahmad al-Sadiq, a resident of al-Mayadin in eastern Deir ez-Zor, said, “Our schools were turned into military barracks, and our hospitals into detention centers. Today, we fear retaliation. Some who collaborated with them are still among us, altering their appearances and denying their past.”
“They used to flood the streets and alleys,” al-Sadiq said. “We hear daily announcements from the new government about arrests of one or two individuals—but what about the 18,000 militants? Could they really have just disappeared?”
According to a 2015 report by Voice of America, Iranian Armed Forces media stated that the Liwa Fatemiyoun militia had been upgraded to a division, suggesting it had between 10,000 and 20,000 militants.
In 2018, a Fatemiyoun official reported that 2,000 of their militants had been killed and 8,000 wounded.
Local residents in Deir ez-Zor say they will not feel truly safe until the fate of those militants is fully revealed.