Post-Assad Syria: Former soldiers give up their weapons for papers
Former regime fighters tell the BBC they want to regain civilian status and had nothing to do with atrocities.
British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersInside a Syrian 'reconciliation centre' where Assad's soldiers give up their weaponsAamir Peerzada/BBCThis "reconciliation centre" in Damascus is run by rebel group HTSOn the night of 6 December, Mohammed el-Nadaf, a soldier in the Syrian army, was at his position in Homs.
As rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) pushed into the city, days after they had seized control of Aleppo and Hama in a lightning offensive, Mohammed decided he didn't want to fight.
"We had no orders, no information. I took off my uniform, left my weapons, and started to make my way to my village in Tartous," he said.
At around the same time, Mohammed Ramadan was at a position on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus.
"There was no one to give orders to us. 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 of a salary to be able to feed my family?
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2n35j5340o
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