Syrian government resorts to forcibly conscripting under-age males for war effort

By Can Efesoy, Ahmet Karaahmet, Mehmet Burak Karacaoglu, Esref Musa and Omer Koparan

ALEPPO (AA) - Assad regime forces reportedly are forcibly conscripting men, including minors, in parts of Damascus to bolster frontlines in the north of Syria.

Regime forces in Yelda, Beit Sahm and Eastern Ghouta conduct raids and checkpoint inspections, detaining men, including minors, and compelling them into military service, according to Anadolu's field sources.

Underage boys, military-age men and reserve soldiers are detained and taken to military facilities, as well as at checkpoints in the area during the raids by the regime's military police, Baathist battalions and intelligence forces. Around 1,700 men have been reportedly detained in Eastern Ghouta.

After Aleppo fell to the control of anti-regime armed groups, those fleeing Aleppo villages to Damascus were also detained by regime forces.

It was reported that a large number of men were forcibly recruited in the Damascus city center, but there is no clear information on the number detained.​​​​​​​

There are more than 400 villages in the western and eastern countryside and the southern region of Damascus, and the number of men forcibly recruited is expected to increase.

Sources reported that fear silences victims and prevents parents from opposing the recruitment of their children.

Damascus residents avoid leaving their homes except for essentials, while recent developments have further deteriorated the region's economic conditions.

*Writing by Efe Ozkan