DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Muhammad grew tired of dealing with Iranian-backed militias and Islamic State (ISIS) militants. Since he works in sheep breeding in Palmyra’s desert, he constantly has to interact with them, each side seeking to recruit him.
Muhammad al-Hamari, 58, a sheep breeder from the town of al-Sukhna in eastern Homs, central Syria, sold his herd, left his town, and moved with his family to the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, where he bought a new flock. Despite the lack of grazing areas in the region, he chose to get away from the frequent threats.
Shepherds in the Syrian Desert describe their work as “one of the most dangerous professions,” especially in areas held by Iranian-backed militias where ISIS cells are active. These areas are also replete with thousands of mines and active remnants of war, which have devastated shepherds and their herds.
Al-Hamari told North Press that the harassment by Iranian-backed militias and ISIS militants between the towns of al-Sukhna and Palmyra, in the eastern countryside of Homs, has “increased dramatically.”
He added that patrols of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian-backed Liwa Fatemiyoun “have not only seized our cattle but also pressure us to monitor the movements of ISIS militants in the desert and report their positions, or capture and hand them over to them.”
The same happened with ISIS militants. They would approach sheep herders asking for water or food, such as milk and ghee. Then they would accuse them of “cooperating” with Iranian-backed factions, and the shepherds would receive death threats, according to al-Hamari.
This prompted the shepherd to sell his herd and move to the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, which is held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and to start over without being harassed or threatened.
Since 2022, media reports documented over 50 abduction and assassinations of shepherds in the Syrian Desert, mostly in Deir ez-Zor’s desert, which is held by Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias.
According to the Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press, since the beginning of 2023, eight shepherds have been extra-judicially killed, including three by ISIS and five by Iranian-backed militias, and 13 shepherds have been kidnapped in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor and Hama.
Shepherds are pointing the finger at Liwa Fatemiyoun and ISIS militants, since they received death threats from both sides repeatedly.
On April 16, five shepherds were killed by unidentified gunmen in the desert of the town of al-Zabari, in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor. It is speculated that it was an act of retaliation, since the attackers shot dead the whole herd of sheep without stealing any.
Ahmad Zail, from the town of al-Swayiyah, in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, had to sell his sheep and stop raising them due to the harassment he was exposed to by ISIS militants and IRGC patrols while tending to his herd.
He told North Press that the patrols of the IRGC came to the eastern desert of Deir ez-Zor in October 2022 to comb the desert and pursue hidden ISIS militants. “During the operation, they arrested my brothers and me and confiscated our sheep under the charge of having joined ISIS,” he said.
“After being arrested for five days and confirming we did not belong to any faction, they released us and returned our sheep, but they stole more than 100,” he added.
After he was released, he went back to tending to his herd. The next day, four masked ISIS militants kidnapped one of the shepherds. They shot at the masked men, but they managed to escape. After that, they looked for the shepherd and found him fatally shot.
This incident, the IRGC’s harassment, and fear of the return of ISIS militants to avenge the shooting against one of their own prompted the shepherd to sell his herd and leave town.
Clashes between Iranian-backed militias and ISIS militants in the Syrian Desert have also often led to the injury of shepherds and their sheep.
The shepherds in the Syrian Desert express “great resentment” at the harassment, forcing them to sell their sheep and change their profession, or even move to another area.
In addition to harassment, threats, and theft of sheep by Iranian factions, ISIS militants impose zakat (a tax) on sheep breeders. Both sides are squeezing the profession into extinction.