Residents of Dayro Zcuro give testimony of rising Iranian influence and violations

DAYRO ZCURO, Syria – New testimonies from residents of Dayro Zcuro (Deir ez-Zor) shed light on the strong and rising influence of Iranian militias in the region and human rights violations. The most important testimonies speaks of Irian various attempts to change the demographics of the region and impose Iranian culture and Shia doctrines.

In an interview with North Press Agency, Muhammad al-Hamoud, a pseudonym of a resident in the countryside of Dayro Zcuro, was totally surprised months ago when he learned his two minor children had joined the Iranian Zainabiyoun militia. Attempts to return his young children failed after he and other parents were threatened by Iranians at the Cultural Center in the city of al-Mayadeen. The center supervises the schools of the children. Al-Hamoud also discovered that his children’s school teaches students radical Shiite doctrines and recruits them for Iranian militias.

Saleh Muhammad, a pseudonym of a resident of Albukamal city, indicated that the Zainabiyoun militia started recruiting people from the area in exchange for high salaries after it had taken control. It started a process of Shiafication. The ages of those recruited in the Hashemiyoun Center, considered one of the most prominent pro-Iranian centers in Albukamal, range between 9 and 18 years old, according to Muhammad.

According to a survey conducted at the end of 2020, the number of pro-Iranian recruits and affiliates in the centers of Albukamal is 3150, including trainees and graduates, most of whom are now active in the Zainabiyoun militia. The number of recruits and affiliates in al-Mayadeen is approximately 8000 people.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have fought a bitter war against the Islamic State in Dayro Zcuro but have not been able to stabilize the area, which holds a large part of Syria’s oil supply. Dayro Zcuro is a predominantly Arab region and has a strong tribal culture. Many Arab residents of the area joined the Islamic State after it had conquered the area.

The SDF now deals and negotiates with the tribes of these former IS members in the region to keep them from returning to their former patron al-Assad. Al-Assad and his Ba’ath regime, together with its patron Iran and Russia, wants to bring the border area under its control and does not shy away from carrying out political assassinations on insubordinate tribal leaders.