On May 28, media sources said that Syrian regime militias arrested 23 people who were trying to cross into Idleb province from regime-controlled areas in the western Hama countryside.
Enab Baladi said on its website that military police arrested two young men as they tried to cross from the village of Qabr Fidda, west of Hama, into Idleb after they entered a minefield in the al-Kareem village. The two young men were part of a group trying to reach Idleb by way of smuggling. It added that only ten people arrived, including four who lost limbs as a result of exploding mines and six other wounded people.
Human smuggling inside Syria
Media reports say that smuggling into the Idleb province has greatly increased recently, after the number of brokers rose on both regime and opposition sides, especially among military commanders who have taken over the administration of checkpoints on both sides. This is not limited to inside Syria, but also from Lebanese territory to Idleb as well.
Enab Baladi said that: Transporting a person from Lebanon to Idleb costs about 1500 dollars, while a person who wants to enter Idleb from the city of Hama has to pay between 250,000 to 300,000 Syrian pounds. There are also low-cost smuggling routes from 20,000 to 30,000 pounds. A dollar is about 500 pounds.
However, human smuggling to Idleb province is controlled by Nusra Front and some armed opposition groups, and it is mainly limited to people who are wanted by state security or who are fleeing from military service.
Alongside all the smuggling routes, a number of bus drivers transport passengers from Idleb to areas under regime control in Homs and Damascus, but in an official way, passing through all the regime and opposition checkpoints.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
