As the Syrian crisis enters its fifth year under a deteriorating economic climate, the regime is increasingly unable to pay the salaries of shabeeha and militias fighting beside them. Such an incident recently happened in Homs, as sources inside the city’s pro-regime neighborhoods have confirmed to al-Souria.
Ahmed, an activist who resides inside one of these neighborhoods, said: "The regime failed pay the salaries of female fighters, and recently asked them to go to the fronts – not just stay at the checkpoints – but the fighters refused to go out of fear of falling into the hands of the Free Syrian Army and ISIS. The regime demanded those who refuse to fight on the fronts will have to hand over their weapons to the command of the National Defense in their region".
In a statement to al-Souria, Ahmed confirmed that fighters rebelled against the regime and refused to hand over their weapons, citing the fear of kidnappings and rapes carried out by the male shabeeha.
The activist added that as a result of their refusal, clashes broke out between these fighters and the Military and Air Force Security branches in Homs in the middle of this month. The clashes took place near the National Defense Headquarters in the al-Zahra neighborhood, where three female fighters and two security personnel were killed, with 10 others injured.
The activist, Nebras, confirmed Ahmed's claims to al-Souria, noting that the problem is not yet over, because the "shabeeha are still demanding their wages, and they still refuse to go to the hot fronts".
Nebras added that some of the male fighters in the National Defense militias also refused to go to the fronts because they haven't been paid their salaries, with the regime demanding they surrender their weapons, stating their salaries will not be paid. The activist said the regime has stopped paying compensation to the families of soldiers killed in battle due to a lack of funds.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
