Protesters from the city of Daraa al-Balad blocked the main roads of the city with burning tires to protest the arrest by the military police of ten young men in the center of Daraa city for their conscription into the military.
Enab Baladi’s correspondent reported that protesters burned tires and blocked roads on Thursday morning, against the background of the arrest of several Daraa al-Balad residents by military police in the Panorama area of the center of Daraa governorate.
Ahrar Horan Gathering said that regime forces released ten young men hours after their arrest for compulsory military service. The release is connected to the protests.
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A Daraa al-Balad elder told Enab Baladi that military police arrested the youths while they were going to work, which residents of the area considered a restriction on their movement in light of the unemployment situation and the poor living conditions in the area.
The source added (whose name was reserved for security reasons) that the most appropriate solution to the problem of those wanted for conscription is to grant them postponements of the service so that they can carry out their work without fear of arrest.
The idea of joining the military has become rejected by young people due to reasons related to their dissatisfaction with serving in the regime’s army and for economic reasons, namely the financial burdens on their families if they join compulsory service.
Thousands of dissidents in Daraa
In July 2021, Daraa al-Balad was besieged by regime forces with water and electricity cuts, military operations and attempts to storm the city while pursuing wanted children.
Daraa governorate is home to thousands of defectors from Syrian regime forces, as well as others who have fallen behind in military service.
Some wanted persons resorted to joining the Fourth Division after the 2018 settlement to protect themselves from security persecution. However, the Division withdrew in November 2021, leaving more than 3,000 defectors who refused to join its units in Damascus.
The siege ended in September of the same year with a “settlement” for the city’s people, the delivery of several light weapons pieces, and the installation of eight military checkpoints inside it.
Although regime forces have been stationed in Daraa al-Balad since then, these forces have not affected the movement of civilians there, as the members have adhered to the boundaries of their military positions only, without interfering with passers-by, according to the source.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
