ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – Wounded soldiersin the city of Aleppo, northern Syria, said that they sought to travel abroad after being neglected by the Syrian government, which did not care about the difficulties that they face in securing their livelihood.
During the Syrian war, the rich, the opposition, and limited income families from Aleppo emigrated, but this phenomenon exists even among those who have joined the ranks of the government forces.
Sami Salem, (a pseudonym) a pro-government soldier who lost his leg during fighting, said that he intended to travel abroad in order to be able to improve his living conditions and find a suitable job because he fed up with living in Syria.
He is forced to travel unofficially by paying large amount of money, because he was not allowed to travel even after becoming disabled.
The Syrian war, that started due to the Syrian crisis that began in March 2011, killed about 500,000 people, according to a report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
It also displaced about 13,000,000, or about 60% of the Syrians before 2011, inside and outside Syria, according to Bio Center for research.
Meanwhile, war wounded believe that the Syrian government, that honored them in front of the media, did not appreciate their sacrifices, and did not help them after they lost parts of their bodies and became unable to secure their needs.
Abdulsalam Muhammad, (a pseudonym) a pro-government soldier of the Republican Guard who was disabled after being injured, said that he was not able to provide his family with their necessities amid the high prices.
Muhammad takes SYP 48,000 from the government and 60,000 from an additional job, which is not sufficient to provide for his family.
The average salaries in the Syrian government-held areas are about SYP 50,000 ($25), amid deteriorating living conditions due to the collapse of the Syrian pound and the application of the Caesar Act against the Syrian government and its supporters.
Each Syrian family of five needs SYP 686,000 to secure its monthly food in order to live at the same level of the years 2009/2010, according to a recent study published by the Furat Center for Studies in Qamishli.
“Travelling abroad is better than staying in a country in which I am a stranger after being wounded,” a disabled former soldier said.
Abdulrahman Hussin, (a pseudonym) a disabled veteran, said that being honored after being wounded did not compensate for what he lost; he was not able to do any other profession after the injury.
“I am the main breadwinner for an elder brother and two university student sisters; I am trying to save the costs to travel abroad,” he added.
Although he was discharged, Hussin feared being called for reserve military service, especially after his application for travel permission was denied.
Reporting by Ali Agha