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Thursday, June 06, 2013

Confessions Of A Disillusioned Syrian Rebel Fighter

Someone left a comment with a link to a video on the post I wrote about finding Syrian Islamist rebels with Sarin gas in Turkey.

It's a confession, of sorts, by a Lebanese friend of his who went to fight with the Free Syrian Army (FSA). However, he became disillusioned after witnessing atrocities perpetrated by the rebel jihadists who eventually took over his unit.

He says he got used to the jihadists arbitrarily killing Christians, Alawites or Kurds, or witnessing revenge rape of the women of men who had killed their buddies, although he, himself, did not condone the killing of "ordinary people", even those of other religions. He could also excuse his Islamist commanders using kids to spy on Assad's soldiers. But what prompted his swift return to Lebanon was when a jihadist tucked a bomb into the clothing of an unassuming child who was then blown to bits along with several of Assad's soldiers.

He also noticed that the liberated locals, although hating Assad, were not thrilled with their Islamist liberators either. He claims that many fighters who were idealistically drawn to Syria to fight for democracy and freedom- during the Arab Spring fervor- left soon after they realized the actual path the battle was taking. Many, however, have remained with the FSA, fearful of the Jihadists' revenge.

He wants a better life for Syrians and Lebanese, but he says that he doesn't want to change one dictatorship for another "where the interpreters of Shariah Law, and the Gulf monarchies which are stuck in the Middle Ages, will dictate to us their will."

This "friend" is a member of the Future Movement Party, a secular Lebanese political party headed by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of the assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Of course, this video like so many coming out of Syria is unverifiable.  But the man seems totally disillusioned by both sides.

Watch the video (with subtitles) here.

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