Normal life returns to Syria’s Shabaa

As the Syrian Army gained control of the town of Shaba'a on the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, the normal life is slowly returning to the liberated town, reports said. The developments come two days after Syrian Army forces entered the town and began purging it from the armed groups. Residents of the newly-liberated Syrian town of Shaba’a who had refused to leave their homes despite its occupation by foreign-backed militant groups have confirmed to Al-Alam that many members of the rebel groups were nationals of other countries. Speaking to Al-Alam bureau chief in Damascus, one of the residents, Hossein Morteza, said after the armed groups entered Shaba’a, they told us to leave the town. Another resident asserted that in addition to Syrian militants, a number of the foreign-backed armed elements were nationals of other countries, including Tunisia, Iraq and Libya. An elderly woman who had also refused to leave her home despite threats made by the militant groups reiterated that the terrorists demanded that we abandon our homes after they gained access to the city, claiming that if we stayed in the town the army would kill us. “They falsely told us that if the Army enters the town, they would kill us,” said another resident. “But I said it is not logical for the Army to kill us, since we didn’t do anything wrong.” The resident further insisted that prior to the occupation of Shaba’a by the armed elements, the town was peaceful. Pointing to those residents that fled the town following its occupation by the armed groups, the resident emphasized that fleeing was a wrong move since withdrawing from the town allowed the armed elements to occupy it and engage in ransacking homes and stealing people’s properties. Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country. Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes. The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots to topple President Bashar al-Assad, who is well known in the world for his anti-Israeli stances.