The Syrian army revealed a huge tunnel network in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta liberated by Assad’s forces last week. This tunnel network, where people were forced to work like slaves by jihadist groups, clearly indicates Islamist terrorists’ crimes against humanity, according to the report in pro-Assad news agency al-Ikhbariya.
As the jihadist groups agreed to withdraw from the Eastern Ghouta towards Idlib or Jarablus by reaching an agreement with Assad under Russian mediation, the Syrian army has found approximately 10-kilometer tunnel network, connecting the districts in the region and used by jihadist groups. The tunnels shed light on terrible methods of jihadist groups in the Eastern Ghouta besieged by the Syrian army since 2013.
PEOPLE FORCED TO WORK FOR MONTHS WITH NO SUNLIGHT
In the report prepared by pro-government Al-Ikhbariya, the correspondent Rabia Dibe is accompanied by a person who had been kept captive for six years in a “prison” in Jobar district of the Eastern Ghouta.
Telling that people who were kidnapped from the nearby districts by the jihadists were forced to work in the construction of these huge tunnels, the former captive said that he was sometimes destitute of even getting sunlight for six months, and that terrorists had given them food just enough to survive.
Jihadist groups in the Eastern Ghouta have about 3,000 prisoners, it is estimated. These prisoners were captured under an agreement for sending jihadist groups to the north of Syria.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the Syrian state media organization linked to the Ministry of Information, also broadcasted the images of a “secret” prison found in Arbin district, which was under control of Qatar-backed Al-Rahman Legion (also called Rahman Corps) until the end of March 2018 when the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has imposed its control over the entire area of Eastern Ghouta. Yet, it is not known exactly how many prisoners were forced to work by jihadists in these tunnels.
AN UNDERGROUND CITY OF CONCENTRATION CAMPS
Al-Ikhbariya correspondent states that the tunnel network is 35 meters below the ground and is about 10 kilometres long. There are also phone lines as well as ventilation and lighting systems in the tunnels, which have been fortified by concrete and steel columns to avoid a collapse in case of air strikes.
It is also noted that the tunnels reaching the underground hospitals, armoury, ammunition and food depots have been interconnecting districts of Eastern Ghouta such as Jobar, Ein Tarma, Zemelka, and Arbin. Moreover, these tunnel networks extend all the way to the houses of commanders of jihadist groups. Thus, jihadist commanders could travel between the districts of Eastern Ghouta without worrying about air strikes. The tunnel networks reveal how jihadist groups could manage to stand out against the Syrian army in Eastern Ghouta besieged by Assad forces for five years.
HAMAS TAUGHT TUNNEL TACTICS TO JIHADISTS
Some sources had previously claimed that Qatar had provided necessary equipment and electronic devices for tunnel driving to jihadists in Damascus. Pro-Assad sources had also reported Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist organization Hamas, who acquired experience of tunnelling in Gaza, conveyed its experience to the jihadist groups in the region.
In addition, Hamas-affiliated Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis had fought against the Syrian army by forming alliances with jihadist groups in Eastern Ghouta. It is noted that Hamas employs this terrorist group to transfer its tunnelling technology to jihadist groups in Syria.
