Government forces arrest Syrian refugees returning from Lebanon
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – Syrian government forces arrested on Wednesday dozens of individuals, who returned from Lebanon, at the border to conscript them into mandatory military service.
Fatima, a pseudonym for a displaced Syrian woman who has recently arrived in areas run by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), said that the government forces arrested around 40 returnees, most of whom were from northern Syria.
She told North Press that her husband remains in Lebanon and is trying to find a smuggling route to reach Raqqa without passing through government checkpoints.
Fatima explained that her husband, who is wanted for reserve service in the government forces, refuses to return to Syria out of fear of arrest and is searching for a “reliable smuggler” to facilitate his return.
She added that the smugglers exploit returning refugees, with those wanted for military conscription paying between $600 and $1,000 to reach the AANES areas.