Syrian Rebel Force Deployed Near Damascus to Stop Looters

A rebel group was deployed to a village in southeastern Damascus to combat looters who had overrun a residential complex, stealing items and setting several apartments on fire.

This action took place a week after the rebels launched a swift offensive on the Syrian capital, leading to the flight of President Bashar Assad and the end of his family’s decades-long rule. The rebels’ main focus has been securing the city of Damascus, where looting and attacks on government and security buildings have been limited.

On Sunday, a group of rebels arrived in Husseiniyeh, a village where looters, including women and children, had raided a residential complex. They took furniture, food, copper wires, and other valuables. Residents described their homes being ransacked, with some even watching as looters set fires to the buildings and carried off what they could. One resident described the looting of his 25-year home and pointed out a child walking away with a box of metal cables.

A local school principal reported that her home was looted but that she was unable to stop it. She criticized the rebels, but a fighter responded by promising to establish a checkpoint in the area to prevent further thefts, as many of the looters came from a nearby village.

The looters resorted to firing grenades at the apartments, causing fires, while the rebels fired shots near the looters to disperse them and took action to apprehend some of the culprits. The rebels detained around a dozen looters, while others managed to flee, still carrying their stolen goods. No injuries were reported in the confrontation.