Fighter narrates his experience at mercenaries’ ranks, exposed truth

TOLIN HASSAN /AL-SHAHBA

Hawar news agency (ANHA) interviewed with the fighter in Jabhit al-Akrad Murshid Rejo, who was a member in the ranks of the mercenaries during the battles in Aleppo. He narrated to us his experience among the mercenaries, how they deal with each other and how they were receiving instructions.

He fled from his home to Aleppo due to IS' gangs' practices

Murshid Rejo who is at  27-year-old from al–Bab area belonging to al-Shahba canton, he got married and he has a child, said he had left his home because of mercenary practices. He went to Aleppo. "I was living with my family in Baza'a town, our areas had been occupied by IS gangs in 2013 due to  brutal practices on us, so we could not stay in the area, so I had no other choice only to flee to Aleppo."

They lied to him to make him join them

Murshid noted that after he went to Aleppo, he got to know a number of mercenaries of Sultan Murad and decided to join them after telling him that their aim was to spread security in the area.”, and due to our suffering at the hands of Daesh mercenaries, I decided to join them, and my goal was to protect my family first of all. "

Their truth exposed, fearing for his family, he could not leave them

He said that day after day he discovered that what Sultan Murad's mercenaries had told him was just a lie to encourage young people to join them. "There is no difference between Sultan Murad and IS mercenaries. They were also killing and looting, and I tried to leave them, but for fear of my family I could not do that if I left them they would kill me because I discovered their truth."

He fell victim to differences among mercenary gangs

In 2015, a dispute erupted between the mercenaries of the Sultan Murad and the mercenaries of Khalid al-Hayani gangs in Bustan Pasha neighborhood of Aleppo on people's property that they rooted resulting in clashes between the two sides, due to these clashes Murshid was captured by al-Hayani, and he added “the reason for the dispute was the patrol cars of the two parties in the neighborhood in order to steal the property of the residents in Bustan Pasha neighborhood as they did not reach an agreement, the clashes broke out between the two sides, and I fell captive to al-Hayani, and my weapon was seized."

He added: “Al-Hayani's mercenaries tortured me severely in various ways on a daily basis, and the effects of torture are still visible on my body even after three years later, I remained under torture for about 6 months. My parents did not receive any news about me, I told them that I wanted to join them to protect myself from severe torment. The truth of this group was worse than al-Sultan Murad. All they said were slogans. The reality was stealing and looting. "

Gangs’ aim was abduction of women, looting property

Commenting on what violations and practices of mercenaries against the people he saw, he said "They were harassing women and girls and kidnapping them under fake charges like dealing with the Syrian regime, and women were raped by them. As for men, they were subjected to various kinds of torturing for no reason, and they looted the property of the people,"

There was no safety

He explained that although they were members of al-Hayani gangs, they were not safe from them. "Sometimes they stole my weapon from me and put me in jail to fine me for the weapon, and I was hurt in my legs in one of the battles with the regime, those who were with me fled from the area, and took my weapon, and left me there, they did not help me until after the cessation of the clashes. The people came and took me away from the scene of the clashes and treated me, so I was worried about my family from them, when I would go to the fronts, I was transporting my family to my sister's house in al-Haidariya neighborhood, fearing them of mercenaries. Their aim was not to protect the people. They were stealing and displacing the people. They emptied Bustan Pasha neighborhood and the Hanano houses in Aleppo for stealing and looting these houses.

Trapped in eastern neighborhoods, abandoned by mercenaries, they left Aleppo after the Russian-Turkish agreement

He reported that when he was with mercenaries Khalid al-Hayani in Aleppo city, Abu Omar al-Zanki, who was in Azaz under Turkish occupation in the northern countryside, was the one supplying them with weapons, ammunition and equipment ,"In late 2016 we were surrounded by the cutting off of Castillo and Ramosa roads, The mercenaries of Jaish al-Fatah, mostly from Homs province  were supposed to come to break the siege by agreement, but later we were told that Jaish al-Fatah had been instructed by Turkey to leave us in siege, and then the instructions came to go to the neighborhood of al-Sha'ar (north-east of Aleppo), where the green buses belonging to the Syrian regime were waiting, and from there you will come to the northern countryside, "that was under the agreement between Turkey and Russia after Turkey sold its mercenary gangs following its agreement with Russia and need to empty the eastern neighborhoods of mercenaries in exchange for Russia to allow Turkey to occupy al-Bab.

Refused to leave Aleppo as he hated Free Army, joined Jabhit al-Akrad

He said he refused to leave Aleppo with mercenaries of al-Hayani, he said in this context" I refused to leave Aleppo because I hated Free Army practices, they were raping women, so I stayed in Aleppo. Then I continued with Jabhit al-Akrad, so I went to Sheikh Maksoud neighborhood and decided to join it."

I got to know the true meaning of comradeship and loyalty among Jabhit al-Akrad

About what he saw within Jabhit al-Akrad forces, He said " Jabhit al-Akrad are organized in their morals, respect, care for their comrades, have no theft, or any immoral practices, and in battles were saving their wounded comrades, after my suffering at mercenaries’ hands, I reached the true meaning of comradeship and sincerity between The Kurdish front."

He participated in resistance against the Turkish occupation, saying they cannot fight at battlefields.

"For the first time I felt that I was defending my country, and this gave me the strength of determination in the battles. We were fighting the Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries who could not advance on our fronts, he said. so they used planes, because they were unable to make any progress without them. "

"I was injured during the battle of Shia," Sheikh Hadid. "My comrades carried me and did not leave me on the battlefield. They took me to the hospital for receiving medical  treatment."

Mushid Rejo ended his speech saying "I will not forget what the mercenaries did to me, and through the liberation of Afrin and the rest of North Syria's areas I would have retaliated for what he did to us and to the rest of our countrymen," he said.

(T/S)

ANHA