SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press) – With the start of 2011, events in Syria took shape and began to escalate, contrary to rumors that the “crisis” would end soon.
In the midst of this reality, the Druze religious minority of Suwayda, south Syria, began to feel threatened by the future, especially since they have been living in an area distinguished by tension and for decades, dating back to the pre-independence Syria.
The Druze saw that what had started to happen in Syria meant that they must prepare for an unknown future, especially with start of the armed conflict, international interference in and support for parties to the conflict, and the emergence of serious threats to their areas as a whole.
First, they started forming groups of clergymen who would “protect society and land” in the event of any attack; the al-Karama Sheikhs were among those groups and played a prominent role.
How the story begins
Early in 2014, Druze sheikh Nawras Salam was arrested by the Syrian government’s Military Intelligence, charged with armoring cars and installing heavy DShK machine guns on them. He was arrested in the industrial zone in the city of Suwayda, and the incident caused the sheikhs to gather and threaten to attack the Military Intelligence.
The gathering of sheikhs told then-head of the Military Intelligence Department Wafiq Naser to “respond immediately,” release Sheikh Salam, and bring him to the Druze House.
At the time, there were no signs of any organized armed groups, but Sheikh Wahid al-Bal’ous made a name for himself as an anti-government figure after he started demanding the departure of Naser from Suwayda.
The arrest of Nawras Salam was a retaliatory move by Naser as a result of an oral dispute between himself and Sheikh al-Bal’ous days before the arrest, according to informed sources.
The arguments place when Naser demanded the sheikhs be disarmed. Al-Bal’ous refused his demands, saying, “We must have our weapons with us to protect ourselves, and we will not use them against the state.”
Al-Balous’ reaction to the arrest of Salam and the threat to attack the headquarter of the Military Intelligence sparked the emergence of Sheikh al-Karama Forces and the start of their confrontation with government security forces.
On August 16, 2014, the Battle of Dama took place in the western countryside of Suwayda governorate as a result of an attack and artillery shelling by al-Nusra Front (a jihadist organization and al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch) on the town of Deir Dama.
As a result of that battle, dozens of Druze were killed and wounded, among them the brother of Sheikh Wahid al-Bal’ous. This battle became known as “al-Karama (Dignity) Battle,” and the groups which participated in the battle were named Men of Dignity.
During the funeral of the victims of the Battle of Dama in the Municipal Stadium in the city center, Sheikh al-Bal’ous appeared as a leader of the Men of Dignity and announced that the group was allied with neither the regime nor the opposition.
At the time, he announced that “the safety and protection of Suwayda without affiliation with any party, is the most important thing to me,” and he was clear when he accused the intelligence services of igniting the battle.
The government considered as a confrontation and a deviation from its policy of “blind adherence.”
Defying the intelligence
Sheikh al-Bal’ous believed that “treachery” by security forces during the Battle of Dama was clear, and he stated more than once that the security forces facilitated the entry of al-Nusra Front into the town of Deir Dama.
He accused Wafiq Naser of “leading a systematic campaign to fragment Suwayda governorate from the inside and trying to sow discord between the Daraa and Suwayda governorates,” as he was a security official in the Military Intelligence Department in both governorates.
After those events, al-Bal’ous emerged as a “force to confront the security apparatus,” refusing its authority and oppression, in addition to projecting his attitudes opposed to the methods and behaviors of the intelligence in Syria in general.
The Men of Dignity considered joining the Syrian government’s compulsory service a personal decision for each member, but they refused to recruit the youth by force and also refused the government’s attempts to recruit Suwayda’s people to fight their “brothers in their hometown.”
The Men of Dignity movement became a safe haven for those who refused to join the Syrian government army, and the movement mobilized and detained members of the regime whenever evaders of compulsory service were arrested by government forces. The situation became safe for “the wanted youth within the governorate, and they could move without fear,” according to active sources in the city.
At that time, joining the Men of Dignity movement was not limited to sheikhs only; anyone could join the group, and it consisted of many who refused to serve in the military.
Wheat: a red line
Sheikh Wahid al-Bal’ous refused to allow wheat from Suwayda to be taken outside the governorate, and he asked farmers not to sell their crops to government silos.
He repeated more than once his famous statement that “wheat is a red line, and the starvation policy comes from emptying Suwayda of its food stocks.”
He stressed the necessity to preserve wheat and barley, and to pursue any vehicle that takes wheat out of the governorate.
He called on the residents to pay attention to agriculture and planting wheat in particular, “out of fear that the authority will cut the road from Suwayda in case it decides to punish it or besiege it.”
Developments and new discourse
On March 26, 2015, which marked the 33rd anniversary of the death of the leader of the Great Syrian (Druze) Revolt, the Men of Dignity headed to the town of Qrayya, the birthplace of Sultan Pasha al-Atrash.
At the shrine of al-Atrash, Sheikh al-Bal’ous delivered a speech described as “qualitative,” in which he clearly touched on Syrian public affairs for the first time and talked about the relationship with the Daraa governorate, which was viewed by observers as “an evolution in the discourse of the Men of Dignity Movement.” The most prominent points mentioned in his speech were:
- Syria, in all its colors, is Salih al-Ali, Ibrahim Hanano, Hassan al-Kharrat, Sultan al-Atrash, and Faris al-Khoury (all Syrian revolutionaries who fought against the French).
- Jabal al-Druze and Suwayda are a microcosm of all Syria, as they contain all peoples; both Muslims and Christians live there without sectarianism.
- Suwayda governorate embraces displaced people from all parts of Syria; Sunni Muslims came to it just as Shi’ite Muslims did. Suwayda did not close the door in the face of anyone.
- We have no relation with the blood that is being shed on the Syrian territory and we have nothing to do with it, as no one consulted us about what is going on. The enemy wanted it to be a Sunni-Shiite conflict. It is not our battle. If it was not so, we would have the honor to fight the enemy of the homeland in Raqqa and be martyred in Deir ez-Zor.
- From this holy place, we call on all Syrians to return to their senses, and we call for a national conference for all Syrians on this blessed Syrian land, and let the headquarters of this conference be this place, in loyalty to the leaders of liberation and independence.
- We heard a call from the honorable people of Horan not to attack Jabal al-Druze, but we want to connect their words with deeds to prove their good intentions, release kidnapped persons, and not allow the offenders to sow discord between the plain and the mountain (Horan and Jabal al-Druze).
He called for the release of 17 of Suwayda’s people kidnapped in 2013 from Daraa governorate, most notable of whom was Jamal Ezzedin al-Halabi. It became clear later that all of them had been killed, and the bodies of four of them were brought in an exchange process that took place between Suwayda and Daraa in mid-2015.
Kidnappings between the plain and the mountain (Daraa and Suwayda) have escalated and are still ongoing; they have nearly sparked conflict between the two neighboring governorates on more than one occasion.
Removing Air Force checkpoints
Meanwhile, the Syrian Air Force Intelligence set up a checkpoint at the western entrance to the city of Suwayda, on the road between the city and the town of Mazra’a where the house of Sheikh al-Bal’ous and the headquarters of the Men of Dignity was located.
This checkpoint harassed cars and buses going in and out of the city towards the western countryside of the governorate, arousing great resentment among the residents, who repeatedly informed al-Bal’ous about the events.
In the meantime, al-Bal’ous was sending “threats and warnings to the security forces not to repeat this harassment, but to no avail.”
This led him to send a group of the Men of Dignity movement to attack the checkpoint. The group expelled the members and destroyed the checkpoint.
The attack sparked severe discontent with the regime, which prompted it to send threatening messages to al-Bal’ous, according to sources close to him.
Several delegations visited al-Bal’ous’ house for mediation, where he took on stances described as “firm” towards the regime, threatening to turn against it and attack it if it went further.
A few days later, the regime mobilized and returned to the checkpoint, accompanied by a number of its loyalists including local clergymen and members of the Iran-backed National Defense militia.
The Syrian regime was able to rebuild the checkpoint. Al-Bal’ous replied at the time that he would not act so as not to shed blood, especially as “it is the blood of the people of the governorate,” even if they would stand with the regime against him.
Ali Mamlouk in Suwayda
After removing the checkpoint and breaking the prestige of the security intelligence despite their return (which was accompanied by promises not to harass travelers), Major General Ali Mamlouk, head of the National Security Bureau, came to Suwayda and met with security and Ba’ath party leaders in the governorate.
The meeting decided that the state of rebellion of al-Bal’ous, as described by Mamlouk, must be crushed by any means necessary.
When al-Bal’ous realized the subject of the meeting, hundreds of his supporters came to his home in the town of Mazra’a and showed their support for him and his positions with the Men of Dignity Movement.
Sources who attended that day said that al-Bal’ous addressed that gathering in an escalating manner against the regime, saying, “We have realized your decision to kill us.”
In his speech, he directly held “the head of the regime responsible for all the problems that occurred and are occurring in all parts of the country.”
He accused the “regime” of being the reason for the “catastrophic state” which the country has reached, declaring that he “will not back down from any of his positions,” and famously said at the time, “Either above the ground with dignity, or under the ground with dignity.”
On the afternoon September 4, 2015, Sheikh al-Bal’ous’ convoy headed to the village of Salli in the eastern countryside of Suwayda, intending to visit one of the groups affiliated with the movement.
At the Ain al-Marj area on the Dahr al-Jabal road, there was a pickup truck parked to the right side of the road. As soon as Sheikh al-Bal’ous’ convoy reached the truck, it exploded, ending the life of the Sheikh and a number of his companions.