Former soldiers surrender their weapons for papers

On the night of December 6, Mohammed el-Nadaf, a Syrian army soldier, was at his position in Homs.

As rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) advanced towards the city, days after taking control of Aleppo and Hama in a lightning offensive, Mohammed decided he did not want to fight.

“We had no orders or information. I took off my uniform, left my weapons and started heading to my village in Tartous,” he said.

At about the same time, Mohammed Ramadan was in a position on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus.

“There was no one to give us orders. Many of our commanders fled before us. So I thought, why should I die and fight for someone who didn’t even give me enough salary to feed my family?”

“For our daily rations as soldiers we only received an egg and a potato.”

The next morning, he too left his post and went home.

The soldiers’ testimony provides insight into the rapid collapse of ousted President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

For many of his demoralized and underpaid forces on the ground, the speed with which their defenses disintegrated in the face of the rebel offensive was no surprise.

Many soldiers told us they were paid less than $35 (£28) a month and had to do other jobs to survive in a country where that would only cover a fraction of basic living costs.

Mohammed Ramadan held the Kalashnikov rifle he had previously been assigned when we met him and several others in Damascus, more than two weeks after the regime fell, at a “reconciliation center” run by HTS.

At the center, former military, police and intelligence officers, as well as anyone who was part of pro-Assad militia groups, can register for a temporary civilian identity card and deposit their weapons.

HTS has announced a general amnesty for those who worked for the old regime.

Waleed Abdrabuh, a member of the group running the reconciliation centers in Damascus, said: “The goal is for weapons handed over by the former regime to be returned to the state. And for members of the forces to obtain civilian identification. so that can reintegrate into society.”

Under Assad, conscription was mandatory for adult men. Recruits had to hand over their civilian IDs and received military IDs instead.

Without a civil ID it would be difficult to get a job or move freely around the country, which partly explains why tens of thousands have turned up in various city centers.

In central Damascus, formerly an office for Assad’s Ba’ath Party, hundreds of men gathered at the door, eager to be let in.

Many of them wanted to distance themselves from the regime’s crimes.

“I did not participate in any of their evil actions. I consider them despicable acts. I did everything possible to avoid being part of massacres and crimes against Syrians,” Mohammed al-Nadaf said.

“I even tried to leave the army twice because I knew I was on the wrong side. But it was not possible to escape. The army had all my civilian documents.”

Somar al-Hamwi, who served in the army for 24 years, said: “Most people don’t know anything, okay? For me, I don’t know what happened in Saydnaya or any of the prisons.”

The BBC cannot independently verify his claims.

Anger against the regime and Assad’s decision to flee to Russia on December 7 as rebels approached Damascus was also palpable.

“He (Bashar al-Assad) took a lot of money and ran away. He left all these people, all of us military men, to our own fate,” Somar said.

There were many worried faces in the crowd at the reconciliation center, but the atmosphere seemed relatively friendly despite the 13-year civil war that left more than half a million dead.

“Everyone told me that it was safe and that I should go to reach an agreement in the center. The security guarantee provided by HTS has made a big difference,” said Mohammed al-Nadaf.

But from different parts of Syria, there are increasing reports of alleged revenge attacks including murders, kidnappings and arson. There are no reliable statistics confirming how many attacks have taken place, but dozens have been reported on social media.

Last week, three judges arbitrating property-related matters in the formerly regime-controlled city of Masyaf in northwestern Syria – Mounzer Hassan, Mohammed Mahmoud and Youssef Ghanoum – were killed. Sources at the hospital where their bodies were examined told the BBC that they were hit on the head by a sharp object.

We went to the town of Alamerea to visit Mounzer Hassan’s house. It was bare, cold and looked like it needed repairs.

Mounzer’s wife, Nadine Abdullah, told us that she believed her husband had been attacked because he was an Alawite, the minority sect from which the Assad family comes and to which many members of the former regime’s political and military elite belonged.

“Since they were civil judges, not criminal ones, I believe they were killed simply because they were Alawites. Not all Alawites benefited from Bashar al-Assad. Those who worked for the regime were forced to follow orders; otherwise, action would be taken brutal.” that is imposed on them,” said Nadine.

Mounzer’s brother Nazir said: “This is a crime against an innocent person. It is unacceptable. Those killed had no connection with the regime’s politics. They were only working to support their poor families.”

Mounzer was the father of four young children and was the only wage earner in his family, also caring for his sick father and brother.

His family said they were speaking out because they want to prevent these types of deaths in the future.

“Everyone says that HTS did not commit the crime. But as the ruling authority now, they must find out who did it. They have to ensure the protection of all of us,” Nadine said.

The interim HTS government condemned the murder of the judges and said it will find the perpetrators. He has also denied involvement in retaliatory killings.

Protests were held in Masyaf following the killing of the judges, and many Alawites have told the BBC they are now worried for their safety.

While HTS has announced an amnesty for Assad’s forces, it has also said that those involved in torture and murder will be held accountable. It will be difficult to achieve a balance.

A few weeks after the fall of the regime, we are experiencing a delicate moment for Syria.

Additional reporting by Aamir Peerzada and Sanjay Ganguly.