BEIRUT – The residents of several villages in Syria’s Druze-populated Suweida region have rejected the regime’s efforts to forcibly recruit young men into the army, according to the Sheikhs of Dignity movement.

The Druze clerical group—which considers itself independent of both the Bashar al-Assad regime and the opposition—posted a collection of statements by the residents of 10 villages and 3 armed Druze militias threatening to respond violently if any young men were pressed into Syrian regime service.



Several of the statements also attacked the head of Syria’s Military Intelligence Directorate in the province, Wafiq Nasser, who recently appeared in a leaked video saying that the Sheikhs of Dignity movement had to be wiped out.

Although Suweida is under regime control, residents of the region have generally maintained an autonomous attitude against not only Islamist rebels but also regime efforts to enlist Druze locals to fight in far-off areas of the country.

Druze youths in southern Syria have protested against the regime’s military conscription efforts, while the Sheikhs of Dignity have previously opposed young men joining the army to fight outside the province.

However, as the regime has faced growing pressure, pro-Assad figures in Suweida as well as the Druze community outside the province have attempted to rally support behind Damascus.

On June 9, the spiritual leader of the Syrian Druze community issued a call for young men in Suweida to join the Syrian army.

A flurry of reports have emerged in recent weeks that the Syrian regime has conducted campaigns in Damascus and elsewhere in the country to round-up young men and press them into military service.

In late May, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights noted that 70,000 young men have skipped compulsory military service in provinces that are either fully or partially controlled by the regime.

Villages reject regime conscription

The mountain town of Salkhad, which hosts a population of 15,000 people—appeared to be the first Druze-populated area to reject forced conscription within the regime’s beleaguered army.

“Any checkpoint on the Salkhad-Suweida road [that arrests young men] will be trampled,” a statement issued by the town's residents said.

It added that the warning was “effective from 20th November 2015.”

“We hope that the mountain’s other men in all the villages will take the same decision to protect our sons and our mountain.”

A number of other towns and villages across Syria’s southern Suweida province followed up on the statement with their own invectives against forced conscription.

The village of Al-Ghariya—located some 45 kilometers south of the province’s capital Suweida—said on November 20 that “dragging [people] away from checkpoints and [sending out] patrols [to arrest them] is completely unacceptable.”

“We will carry out an immediate and appropriate response to free our young men from the checkpoints and the [intelligence service] branches by force of arms if necessary.”

However, the statement did not forbid enrollment in the army, saying, “those who want to go, may God help them do so.”

The town of Araman, for its part, issued an implicit threat against Suweida Military Intelligence Directorate chief Wafiq Nasser, telling him that the province’s dignity “is a red line.”

“Through these actions of yours you have dug your grave with your own hands,” the bellicose statement said.

Meanwhile, another small village, Milh Al-Sarrar said that“Wafiq Nasser and his dogs will be trampled.”

A number of other Druze towns and villages issued similar statements, including Era, Al-Buthaina, Maymas, Lahetha, and Najran.