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WORLD NEWS Thursday 19 July 2018

Under Assad's grip, uneasy co-existence with former rebels

By BASSEM MROUE Within days, the protests
Associated Press spread around the coun-
TALBISEH, Syria (AP) — For- try and after two months of
mer rebel commander government crackdowns,
Omar Melhem has nearly gunmen in Talbiseh and
come full circle. Rastan began fighting
He was a colonel in the Syr- back using automatic rifles
ian army when the uprising and rocket-propelled gre-
against President Bashar nades. The two towns sank
Assad began in 2011. He into cycles of bloodletting
defected a year later and and endured a years-long
joined the armed revolt government siege that
against the Syrian leader. left residents to survive on
Then, when Assad's forces small amounts of food. Re-
marched into Talbiseh, he lief came only last year af-
was among the rebels who ter they were included in
handed over their weapons one of four de-escalation
and agreed to a surrender zones agreed upon by Rus-
deal that would allow them sia, Iran and Turkey, which
to stay in their hometown back rival groups in Syria's
instead of a life of exile in conflict. "Life was very
the country's north. harsh, products were not
As the Syrian government available. It was even hard
reasserts control over op- In this Tuesday, July 17, 2018, photo, Syrian army commander Col. Youssef Sibahi speaks with to find a loaf of bread,"
position strongholds, such troops at a military post in the town of Rastan, Syria. said 61-year-old farmer
co-existence between the Associated Press Abdul-Latif al-Khatib. "My
military and former rebel daughters used to scream
fighters like Melhem is now ern nations, Turkey and the names of rebels in the a few thousand. in fear and we would run
the new reality. Gulf states that backed the town and another of all During a tour by an Associ- around not knowing where
The 51-year-old former reb- rebels, and Russia and Iran, the weapons that were ated Press team, the first by to hide," said 42-year-old
el commander now serves which backed the Syrian handed back to the gov- a foreign media outlet, for- Hayat al-Ghard, who re-
as a liaison between resi- government. ernment as he lobbies for mer insurgents wandered mained in Talbiseh with her
dents and other ex-rebels Among the first Syrian towns better services. the streets, many without husband and seven young
with the Syrian government, to take up arms against the At one point, Melhem com- jobs. They said they were daughters. She said her
helping some rejoin the mil- government, Talbiseh and plained to an army colonel banned from leaving the daughters are illiterate as
itary and negotiating with nearby Rastan are now about the lack of round- region and complained schools were mostly closed
top security officials about part of what some call a the-clock water and elec- the Syrian government was after the fighting began.
services in the town. "reconciliation" process tricity supplies. The officer's going after them for back Melhem was the military
He says war brought only but others consider a hu- response: Be patient. It's taxes dating to 2011. commander of Jaysh al-
death and destruction to miliating surrender follow- been less than two months Most shops were closed Tawheed, the largest rebel
his town, and the deal he ing years of indiscriminate since the town was retak- and homes, riddled with faction in the region, with
and other rebels reached bombardment and siege. en. bullet holes and shell dam- some 3,000 fighters. He
with the government Melhem is among thou- When Melhem said that the age, were empty. A giant boasts now, not of fighting
aimed to end the years- sands of rebels who were town's residents cooperate poster of Assad stood at government forces, but of
long misery of its residents. forced to surrender in ex- with those who treat them the town's entrance. ridding the region from the
"People got tired of war, change for being allowed well but won't tolerate any Syria's conflict, which has Islamic State group in 2015
got tired of the fighting, got to stay. Hundreds of other mistreatment, the officer re- killed nearly half a million and al-Qaida-linked fight-
tired of the destruction. ... fighters refused and left sponded, "Are you coming people and displaced half ers a year earlier.
They've reached the con- with their families for rebel- here to flex your muscles?" the country's population, "Jaysh al-Tawheed was cre-
clusion that they were used held parts of northern Syria, Then they both laughed. broke out in March 2011, ated with the goal of fight-
by other countries, that we joining tens of thousands Both towns are mostly de- with Arab Spring-inspired ing Daesh and we kicked
were a game to them," of government opponents serted. Talbiseh, which protests in the southern city them out of our area," Mel-
Melhem said, referring to forced into exile. once had a population of of Daraa calling for reforms hem said, using an Arabic
the U.S. and other West- He now carries a list of 70,000, now is home to just and more freedoms. term for IS.q