Assad’s militia turning to abductions to raise cash
Special to WorldTribune.com
LONDON — President Bashar Assad’s Alawite militia has begun
abducting Sunni women to raise money for operations.
Syrian opposition sources said the Shabiha militia was abducting women
in Sunni cities in the center of the country.
Members of the Syrian regime-backed Shabiha militia.
The sources said Shabiha, modeled after Iran’s Basij Force, was
demanding huge ransoms in what could signal a regime militia that was
running out of money.
“In the past, any woman in their hands would have been raped and
killed,” an opposition source said. “It appears that Shabiha is not
getting the money it wants from Assad so is moving to holding Sunnis for
ransom.”
In June, at least three women were reported kidnapped in the Sunni
city of Homs, regarded as the stronghold of the revolt against Assad.
The sources said Shabiha was believed to be holding at least 26 women,
many of them for ransoms of up to $1 million.
Shabiha was established by Assad’s late uncle, Rifat, in the 1980s as
part of a drive to intimidate the Sunni Islamist opposition. The militia was
said to receive salaries and benefits from the regime for the killing of
Sunni civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights assessed that
Shabiha contains 6,000 fighters, many of them who also work in Assad’s
security forces.
The sources said Assad’s security forces were aiding the Shabiha
abduction campaign, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of dollars in
revenue. A Syrian officer who deserted the regime, Lt. Ibrahim Ferzat, said
Assad troops were heavily engaged in the rape of women in Homs and Rastan.
Ferzat, who left his post at the Syrian Air Force Intelligence
Directorate for the Free Syrian Army, named three officers allegedly
involved in the campaign. They were identified as Brig. Gen. Jawdat Al
Ahmed, Lt. Abdul Kari Al Tarsha and Lt. Hassan Al Ali.
“There are other figures whose names I have not mentioned,” Ferzat said.
Special to WorldTribune.com
LONDON — President Bashar Assad’s Alawite militia has begun
abducting Sunni women to raise money for operations.
Syrian opposition sources said the Shabiha militia was abducting women
in Sunni cities in the center of the country.
Members of the Syrian regime-backed Shabiha militia.The sources said Shabiha, modeled after Iran’s Basij Force, was
demanding huge ransoms in what could signal a regime militia that was
running out of money.
“In the past, any woman in their hands would have been raped and
killed,” an opposition source said. “It appears that Shabiha is not
getting the money it wants from Assad so is moving to holding Sunnis for
ransom.”
In June, at least three women were reported kidnapped in the Sunni
city of Homs, regarded as the stronghold of the revolt against Assad.
The sources said Shabiha was believed to be holding at least 26 women,
many of them for ransoms of up to $1 million.
Shabiha was established by Assad’s late uncle, Rifat, in the 1980s as
part of a drive to intimidate the Sunni Islamist opposition. The militia was
said to receive salaries and benefits from the regime for the killing of
Sunni civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights assessed that
Shabiha contains 6,000 fighters, many of them who also work in Assad’s
security forces.
The sources said Assad’s security forces were aiding the Shabiha
abduction campaign, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of dollars in
revenue. A Syrian officer who deserted the regime, Lt. Ibrahim Ferzat, said
Assad troops were heavily engaged in the rape of women in Homs and Rastan.
Ferzat, who left his post at the Syrian Air Force Intelligence
Directorate for the Free Syrian Army, named three officers allegedly
involved in the campaign. They were identified as Brig. Gen. Jawdat Al
Ahmed, Lt. Abdul Kari Al Tarsha and Lt. Hassan Al Ali.
“There are other figures whose names I have not mentioned,” Ferzat said.