Inside a Syrian 'reconciliation centre' where Assad's soldiers give up their weapons

On the nighttime of 6 December, Mohammed el-Nadaf, a worker successful the Syrian army, was astatine his presumption successful Homs.

As rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) pushed into the city, days aft they had seized power of Aleppo and Hama successful a lightning offensive, Mohammed decided helium didn't privation to fight.

"We had nary orders, nary information. I took disconnected my uniform, near my weapons, and started to marque my mode to my colony successful Tartous," helium said.

At astir the aforesaid time, Mohammed Ramadan was astatine a presumption connected the outskirts of the capital, Damascus.

"There was nary 1 to springiness orders to us. Many of our commanders fled earlier us. So I thought, wherefore should I dice and combat for idiosyncratic who didn't adjacent springiness maine capable of a wage to beryllium capable to provender my family?

"For our regular rations arsenic soldiers we got conscionable 1 ovum and 1 potato."

The adjacent morning, helium besides near his presumption and went home.

The grounds of the soldiers provides an penetration into the accelerated illness of ousted President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

For galore of his demoralised and poorly paid forces connected the ground, the velocity astatine which their defence disintegrated successful the look of the rebel violative did not travel arsenic a surprise.

Many soldiers told america they were paid little than $35 (£28) a period and had to bash different jobs to get by successful a state wherever that would lone screen a fraction of basal surviving costs.

Mohammed Ramadan was clutching the Kalashnikov firearm he'd been antecedently assigned erstwhile we met him and respective others successful Damascus much than 2 weeks aft the authorities fell, astatine a "reconciliation centre" tally by HTS.

At the centre, erstwhile military, constabulary and quality officers, arsenic good arsenic anyone who was portion of pro-Assad militia groups, tin registry for a impermanent civilian individuality paper and deposit their weapons.

HTS has announced a wide amnesty for those who worked for the erstwhile regime.

Waleed Abdrabuh, a subordinate of the radical looking aft the reconciliation centres successful Damascus, said: "The extremity is to person the weapons issued by the erstwhile authorities to beryllium returned to the state. And for the members of the forces to get a civilian ID truthful that they tin beryllium re-integrated into society."

Under Assad, conscription into the service was mandatory for big males. Conscripts had to manus successful their civilian IDs and were fixed subject IDs instead.

Without a civilian ID it would beryllium hard to get a occupation oregon determination astir freely successful the country, which partially explains wherefore tens of thousands person showed up astatine centres successful assorted cities.

At the centre successful Damascus, formerly an bureau of Assad's Baath Party, hundreds of men were thronging to the gate, hankering to beryllium fto in.

Many of them were keen to region themselves from the crimes of the regime.

"I didn't enactment successful immoderate of their atrocious deeds. I see them despicable acts. I did everything to debar being a portion of massacres and crimes against Syrians," Mohammed al-Nadaf said.

"I adjacent tried to permission the subject doubly due to the fact that I knew I was connected the incorrect side. But it was not imaginable to escape. The subject had each my civilian documents."

Somar al-Hamwi, who served successful the subject for 24 years, said: "Most radical don't cognize anything, OK? For me, I don't cognize what happened successful Saydnaya oregon immoderate of the prisons."

The BBC cannot independently verify their claims.

Anger astatine the authorities and Assad's determination to fly to Russia connected 7 December arsenic the rebels approached Damascus was besides palpable.

"He [Bashar al-Assad] took a batch of wealth and ran away. He near each these people, each of america subject to our ain destiny," said Somar.

There were galore disquieted faces among the crowds astatine the reconciliation centre, but the situation appeared comparatively amicable contempt the 13-year civilian warfare that near much than fractional a cardinal radical dead.

"Everyone told maine it is safe, and to spell and marque a colony astatine the centre. The information assurance made by HTS has made a large difference," said Mohammed al-Nadaf.

But from antithetic parts of Syria, reports of suspected revenge attacks involving killing, kidnapping and arson are progressively coming in. There are nary reliable statistic confirming however galore attacks person taken spot but dozens person been reported connected societal media.

In the past week, 3 judges who arbitrated property-related matters successful the antecedently regime-controlled municipality of Masyaf successful north-western Syria - Mounzer Hassan, Mohammed Mahmoud and Youssef Ghanoum - were killed. Sources from the infirmary wherever their bodies were examined person told the BBC they were struck successful the caput by a crisp object.

We went to Alamerea colony to sojourn the location of Mounzer Hassan. It was bare, cold, and looked similar it needed repairs.

Mounzer's wife, Nadine Abdullah, told america she believed her hubby was targeted due to the fact that helium was an Alawite - the number sect from which the Assad household originates, and to which galore of the erstwhile regime's governmental and subject elite belonged.

"Since they were civil, not transgression tribunal judges, I deliberation they were killed simply due to the fact that they were Alawites. All Alawites did not payment from Bashar al-Assad. Those who worked for the authorities were forced to travel orders, different brutal measures would beryllium imposed connected them," Nadine said.

Mounzer's member Nazir said: "This is simply a transgression against an guiltless person. It's unacceptable. Those being killed had nary transportation to the authorities of the regime. They were conscionable moving to enactment their mediocre families."

Mounzer was the begetter of 4 young children, and was the lone wage earner successful his family, besides looking aft his ailing begetter and brother.

His household said they were speaking retired due to the fact that they privation specified deaths prevented successful future.

"Everyone says HTS did not perpetrate the crime. But arsenic the governing authorization now, they indispensable find retired who did it. They person to guarantee extortion for each of us," Nadine said.

HTS's interim authorities has condemned the sidesplitting of the judges and said it volition find the perpetrators. It has besides denied being progressive successful immoderate reprisal killings.

Protests were held successful Masyaf pursuing the sidesplitting of the judges, and galore Alawites person told the BBC they are present disquieted for their safety.

While HTS has announced an amnesty for Assad's forces, they person besides said those progressive successful torture and sidesplitting volition beryllium held to account. That volition beryllium a hard equilibrium to strike.

A fewer weeks since the autumn of the regime, it is simply a delicate infinitesimal for Syria.

Additional reporting by Aamir Peerzada and Sanjay Ganguly.