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Manu Brabo / AP
Syrian army solider defectors are seen in a temporary prison, as Free Syrian Army fighters investigate their identity, not pictured, in the village of Azaz on Monday.
NORTHERN SYRIA -- The former Syrian military intelligence officer had his family to think of. They lived on his base and would be punished if he joined the Syrian rebels who have been fighting the government of President Bashar Assad.
“You need to get your family out before you can defect,” Abu Mohammed told NBC News at a makeshift bomb-making factory in the outskirts of Aleppo just days after he had escaped. (Due to the location and nature of the interview, NBC was not able to confirm the soldier's account.)
Smoking cigarettes and wearing his army jacket and a woolly hat, he said his wife and three children faced certain imprisonment once the government found out he defected. They would have been used as a barging chip to force home to come back where he would face certain death, he said.
He also had to think of his family and how staying with Assad's forces was wounding them too.
“The violence has become part of my children’s lives,” he said.
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After plotting for months, Abu Mohammed made his move last week. While he did not want to discuss how exactly he got them off the base so as not to reveal information that would allow Syrian authorities to retaliate against them, he said he believed his family was safe.
As for himself, not so much: Abu Mohammed, which means father of Mohammed, has joined the rebels he’s spent almost two years working to exterminate. The war, which has pitted a Shiite-linked Alawite elite against largely Sunni rebels, has killed an estimated 40,000 Syrians and driven 500,000 abroad.
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Abu Mohammed interrupted his conversation with NBC News to kneel and pray in the back room of a makeshift bomb factory on the outskirts of Aleppo. Explosions from a nearby rebel siege of an army base punctuated his prayers.
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Preparing for the defection was not easy either because nobody could suspect you had any doubts about the government’s fight, he said.
“It’s a police state,” he said. And he would know -- his unit used to monitor fellow soldiers’ emails and telephone conversations, he said.
While morale had collapsed among the soldiers he knew, they could never let on, he said.
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“You have to act like you believe the state media,” he said. “If you don’t do that, if you even show some suspicion, you could be accused of 'weakening the collective feeling of national patriotism'.”
Islamic radicals captured a key Syrian army base outside Aleppo as the city is left battered and divided amid a growing humanitarian crisis. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
“This regime forced the people to kill each other,” he said. “The West has not intervened because they want Syrians to kill each other, they know Assad is eventually going and until then they want to weaken the country.”
“Otherwise, why have they not intervened before?” he said.
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Despite the destruction and death that he’d seen, Abu Mohammed said he was hopeful his country would come together when the war ended.
“The Syrian people will stick together again,” he said. “Now they are disagreeing on something -- Assad’s rule. When he goes, they will unite again."
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He should have learned not to bring his work home with him.
Violence is a major part of Islam.
These days extremist Sunni versions have become most dangerous and have become liabilities to the world!
Oil rich Sunnis of Saudi Arabia supported by other Sunni rulers like those of Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and others invented the Sunni hating and killing versions of Salaffi and Wahhabi; funded them; and exported them on a massive scale all over the world.
Look at their mosques spread all over including the US. How many were there before 1991?
They want only their Sunni versions and Sharia Laws.
If these Sunnis of Saudi versions win, you can bet that Salaffis and Wahhabis will battle between each other!
Syria is one example of Sunnis vs Shiites battles.
It does not make much difference if one does not bring his/her work home or not as the whole environment is now only hating and killing!
He made his decision to leave his family. It was his decision. Now he questions why Western Countries are not invovled in bringing down Assad. It is the West's fault that Syria is in such pitiful circumstances. The west is staying out because they do not want to be blamed for the wreckage that is now Syria or have to pay to rebuild it. The Syrians better hope Assad is stupid enough to use chemical weapons on his own people. Then the West will intervene. The other Arab countries are not in there because they do not want to have to support the victors once Assad is gone. The Palestinians are already leeching off the other arab countries. Iran can only provide weapons and troops to Syria and Iraq. They don't have any money left. Russia surely does not want to take over Syria. All they really want is a port on the meditteranian. They already fought and lost 2 wars against muslim extremist. Nobody wants to put boots on the ground in Syria. If Assad was smart he would sling a couple of missiles at Israel and hope the retaliation would draw the attention off him and place it on Israel while he slinks off to an early retirement with hundreds of millions of dollars he's stashed away for himself.
These shameless, especially Sunnis, imagine that they are too smart and others have short memories like them.
They are good in doing dramas, weeping, chest beasting, brandishing weapons, beating in large numbers and killing.
Once their jobs are done, it back to square one of hating and killing.
Hope people can recall the hate marches, killer plans and rioting on cartoons and video on Mohammed.
When it comes to these, enemies: US, Zionist, Christians and so on!
Hope war mongers can examine Iraqi wars, Afghan war, Libyan intervention, mess in Syria, Iran and other places.
In some places like Syrian rebels: it is pleading, begging and chest beating time!
We had enough of their garbages.
Just keep away from Syria, Iran and other places.
To reduce, economic miseries and weaken enemy No. 1, Sunnis of Saudis and co, remove sanctions on Iranian oil.
“This regime forced the people to kill each other,” he said. “The West has not intervened because they want Syrians to kill each other, they know Assad is eventually going and until then they want to weaken the country." "Otherwise, why have they not intervened before?”
Good question sir. It's definitely time for the West to intervene. Although the intervention will consist primarily of numerous hydrogen bombs detonating on that land of wasted natural resources. Do the human race a favor and finally be rid of this delusional cult of primitive barbaric cave-people once and for all.
O&A4Life: For world peace and some sanity, your suggestion hydrogen bomb is the right one.
It should start from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and in that order.
Hope it will happen soon!
Syria can come some where last.
We have to permit Shiites and Sunnis to battle some where on whose Allah is greater and kill each other.
On the remaining one more bomb! Even in killing Islamic style of being barbaric is a good one.
So, we have our own problems here. Take care of yours. Syria is in no way any of my concern.
They said Five Hundred Thousand Syrians have Fled Abroad to other countries. I hope to Hell it isn't here. We have enough Muslims. Send them to France and Switzerland. They love them there. No more FREE Handouts here.
Assad, your day will come Bitch..
The US should give visas to as many free Syrians as possible as with Iraqis in the past - although I know that they are preparing to stream line this once the US gets involved directly, to airlift thousands to safety in the US. Thank god! I am reminded of the Somalis that were relocated to Maine, what a wonderful addition to the culture of that state. Canada I believe is actively emigrating many, which is good for them because they can choose to stay in Canada, or once citizens, can very easily relocated to the land of immigrants, the good old US of A!
Russia and China have blocked any effort by the United Nations to mitigate the loss of life in Syria. What a shame that the citizens directly impacted by this geopolitical reality do not know who their friends are. Hopefully, the Syrian government (Assad) will come to their inevitable conclusion and the free Syrians will have enough information to form their own conclusions about the world powers at play here.
So you leave your family and then complain that they are in danger..So who were you thinking about when you decided to elave...Sure as hell wasn't them....
I don't think the rebels would look to kindly on him either if he tried to defected to Assad's forces.
Also they chose the violence when they turned peaceful protests into riots. It's not our fault they don't know how to make a point with out using violence to get their way.
Article says Abu Mohammed is smoking cigarettes while at makeshift bomb-making factory in the outskirts of Aleppo. Poor Abu is obviously not the most intelligent defector around.
Muslims killing Muslims. Peace Love Dope is better. They treat their women like @!$%# expecting 17 virgins on the other side. Let them have their way. Of course then there's the dancing boys in Afghanistan. I say get out of Afghanistan NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let them stone their child bearers into oblivion and themselves back to the stone age.
No, they actually expect 32 virgins -- not that any of them could handle that much.
Welcome to the Arab Spring, fool.