By Samah Abdul Fattah | 2024-08-31

Militias aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that are operating in Syria are stepping up recruitment efforts in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, activists said.

New recruits are receiving training at a camp in Deir Ezzor city, they said, where the constant sound of gunfire and shelling unnerves local residents and the risk of being hit by a stray bullet poses a real threat.

"IRGC-affiliated militias in Deir Ezzor province have stepped up recruitment operations in the past months and are preparing the recruits for service quickly," Deir Ezzor media activist Jamil al-Abed told Al-Fassel.

Military training that used to take place in remote areas is now under way at al-Talae camp, west of Deir Ezzor city, near the Dahiya (suburb) area and the youth housing area," he said.

"The sounds of bullets and shells are heard during the training that takes place there, and this is sparking panic among civilians," he said.

Live ammunition training is not the only issue of concern to local residents, who also face the risk of the adjacent militia headquarters and training centers being targeted by air strikes, he said.

Hizbullah supervises al-Talae camp

Al-Talae camp was built decades ago to serve as "a place to recruit children and youth for the Syrian ruling Baath Party," activist Ammar Saleh told Al-Fassel.

After the Iranians took control, however, it became a camp for militias affiliated with the IRGC, which used it to train members of the Afghan Fatemiyoun Division.

"Currently, Hizbullah controls it and most of the training operations," Saleh said, adding that a Lebanese national known as "Hajj Jawad" is said to be the general supervisor of the training.

Hizbullah has reportedly divided the camp into three sections, Saleh said.

One section has been designated as a meeting area for militia leaders, "religious courses" are held in another, and the largest section is designated for "physical military training and firearm training with various types of weapons," he said.

Current recruitment operations "target the youth and recent graduates from universities and institutes, in addition to those who have failed to perform compulsory service in the [Syrian] regime's army," Saleh said.

They are easy targets for recruiters as they face being handed over to military courts if they refuse to join the militias, "especially Hizbullah, which cooperates with the regime-affiliated security groups to implement this order," he said.