The news agency TASS reports (source):
One Syrian serviceman was injured in an attack by militants on a community in the Hama Governorate out of the Idlib de-escalation zone, head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for the Opposing Sides in Syria Sergei Solomatin told journalists on Sunday.
“Militants attacked the community of Tell al-Maktaa in the Hama Governorate from the Idlib de-escalation zone during the day, injuring one serviceman of the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as the Al-Sukkari district and the northwestern outskirts of the city of Aleppo,” Solomatin said.
The general noted that 23,080 people who skirted military service have been granted pardon under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s order as of October 9, 2018.
Refugees are also returning to their homes. Ten checkpoints, including one air and one sea checkpoint, are operating with support from the Russian center, Solomatin said. “As of January 5, 2019, 214,607 people have returned,” the head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for the Opposing Sides specified.
I am surprised that there were so many civilians that “skirted” military service; I mean this is not the nonsense of going abroad for a war, this is a war at home and a foreign invasion. But hey-ho.
and the most part haven’t yet the pardon…
Good point.
I’m not surprised at all. But I’m one of the few pro Assad people here who still thinks he’s also a dictator. And people are generally not that keen on risking their lives to save El Presidente for Life. Just look at how poorly the Iraqi army performed in the Iran-Iraq war and Desert Storm. How motivated was a Shia conscript going to be to fight for a dictator who comes from a Sunni clan and brutally oppressed most Iraqi’s? Similarly, how motivated is anyone not of the same Alawite clan in Syria going to be to fight for Bashar al Assad? I’m amazed and glad that many still did, but I reckon its says more about how bad all the other alternatives were then about how popular Assad was. After all, Alawites weren’t going to be the only ones on the chopping block once Al Nusra or ISIS took over.
I was going to disagree with you till the whole tone changed in your last few sentences. They can fight for Syria and not Assad. I think Baathism has been a moderating influence on Syria and has made it a Paris of the Arab World. They may be dictators but they are benign and enlightened. Only this despot and his family have been able to protect Christians as was Saddam in Iraq. Every other Moslem land ,all mates of Amerrikiya slaughter and harm Christians . I know at least one fool,one black and one orange dictator- dressed in parliamentary clothing -who talked of democracy but are dictators in all but name. Their names were all POTUS.
Ha! They all came to Europe as rapefugees.
Assad doesn’t need any more soldiers, he has at least 150 to 175,000 already, soon with the SDF joining the ranks he has another 60 to 65,000 possible recruits, how many more soldiers can he have, he doesn’t even need as many as he does have to do what he’s about to.
What a wonderfull Putin_erdogan agreement for the terrorists and Turkey !! Without the elimination of terrorists allover Syria land (including Turkey-USA-Kurdas), very few things made by Russia in Syria have sense. The offensive in Idlib must starts right now, without any warning.