Insight into Syria: Part 1/3: Security Forces Organization

A Syrian citizen, now living in the European Union but still having strong contacts with his homeland through friends and relatives, answered to a set of questions about the country's situation. This person's identity is not revealed for obvious reasons. This first - out of three - part will provide the reader with particularly accurate details on how the Syrian so-called security forces are divided, subdivided and kept under the regime's control. There we go.

A Syria

n citizen, now living in the European Union but still having strong contacts with his homeland through friends and relatives, answered to a set of questions about the country's situation. This person's identity is not revealed for obvious reasons.

This first - out of three - part will provide the reader with particularly accurate details on how the Syrian so-called security forces are divided, subdivided and kept under the regime's control.

There we go.

Some Western newspapers often report civilians as being killed by what they call "security forces". There are however at least three names that we have heard of: the Army, the Mukhabarat and the Shabeeha. What are the differences between them? Is each of these forces even more subdivided into branches, for example according to religious or social considerations?

The Syrian army.

The president of Syria is the commander of the army. The military service is compulsory for males reaching the age of 18 (unless he does not have brothers, in this case he is exempted from this service), and for a period of 18 months. The army counts for 200,000 regular soldiers and around 300,000 doing the obligatory service. It is estimated that 70% of regular soldiers are alawites. Although they are less than 15% of the whole population. And 80% of officers are alawites. Which are very close to the Assad alawite family. It worth noted that Syria sent 30,000 soldiers to Lebanon from 1975 till 2005, while the Lebanese...