Preface: Islamic State, also known as ISIS, not only oppressed residents of Markadah town, located in the south of al-Hasakah city, and forced them to leave their hometown as well, as we have reviewed in the first part of the report series on Markadah town. It even exploited civilians who refused to leave their property and livelihood. At first ISIS arrested many of the town's men under various pretexts, for hard labor in digging, through which it aimed to dig a large and long trench around Markadah town. According to many testimonies Syrians for Truth and Justice/ STJ/ reporter has got, that ISIS threated death to any civilian rejected to work.
Syrian Democratic Forces/SDF/ advanced towards the eastern border of the town of Markadah and controlled over the villages of (Shamsani ash Sharqi, Sarjin, Al-Dashaisheh, Sharqiyah, and Qutba), on February 27, 2016 and since these villages are located on the eastern border of Markadah town and separate it from ash-Shaddadi town, all that helped to increase pressure on ISIS, especially as many of its agents and their families fled to Markadah town from the Iraqi-Syrian border due to the battles between it and the Iraqi forces in the city of Mosul and its outskirts.
With the beginning of June 2017, ISIS started digging a long ditch along the northern and north-eastern borders as well as the northwest borders of Markadah town, separating it from Syrian Democratic Forces /SDF/ controlled areas in the north, such as Ash -Shaddadi in an attempt to cut off the road in front of SDF in case it continued to move towards the town of Markadah. Therefore, ISIS start to exploit town's men and force them to work on digging, after arresting them under different pretexts, according to several testimonies STJ reporter listened to in September 2017.
First: Arrest Civilians in Markadah Town under Various Pretexts:
In mid-June, ISIS put all its potentials for digging a ditch of (4) meters depth and 3 meters width, on the northern, northeastern and northwestern borders of the town of Markadah, but its potential was poor compared with the immense bounds it hoped to dig around. That's what confirmed by Omar, 48 years old, a resident in Markadah, and one of whom was arrested by ISIS agents on June 24, 2017 and forced to work in digging, in this regard he spoke to STJ after he later managed to flee to Ash -Shaddadi town, located in the south of al-Hasakah city, he said:
"While I was shopping in the town market, I was arrested by the agents of al-Hisbah[1] office for no reason, and then I was taken to their office located at the east side of Markadah town, where they threw me in one of the solitary confinement. After several hours, I could not recognize time because of the total darkness inside the cell. Suddenly ISIS agents entered and told me that I am accused of smoking knowing that I have already told them about the heart disease I suffer from, and that I can bring medical reports and evidences to prove my words, but they refused that and informed me that I would be transferred to the large prison behind al-Hisbah office."
The young man Zuhair Khalil, 25 years old, was also arrested by agents of al-Hisbah office, on June 25, 2017 to be later exploited in digging work as well. He detailed to STJ his arrest when he was working as a taxi driver in Markadah town, he said:
"Agents of al-Hisbah office stopped me, and asked me for my official documents, and the car’s ownership papers. I was shocked when they told me that my documents were false, although every day, owing to the nature of my work nature, I show these papers to ISIS checkpoints agents without any problems. I tried to assure them that my papers were legal, but they took me to al-Hisbah office, and less than half an hour later, I was transferred to the large prison without giving due consideration of the charge against me. "
The arbitrary arrests by al-Hisbah office agents, loyal to ISIS, did not stop there, as they arrested wanted youths for the duty of jihad[2], as well as those who did not make their Jihad booklet, which was special to serve their flag, they were taken to Jihad office[3] In Markadah town, after a day they were taken to ISIS training camps scattered along the desert areas between Markadah town and Deir ez-Zur Province, where young men are forced to serve the duty of jihad for a full year, according to many sources, the young man who surrenders himself to the duty of jihad serves the duty according to ISIS law for only nine months, but those who failed to perform the service will serve for one year.
Ammar Jamil, 18 years old, from Markadah, was arrested by al-Hisbah office agents when he was in the town market on June 27, 2017. The matter that his mother, Khawla al-Ali, confirmed to STJ, noting that she managed to escape from the town and resort to al-Hasakah city on August 16, 2017, she detailed her son's arrest saying:
"According to witnesses, my son was arrested by agents of al-Hisbah office, so I rushed there along with his father in order to find out why they arrested him, they said that he was taken to jihad duty one hour after his arrest, and that's all information we could get."
Second: Using Detainees in Digging Work:
ISIS was transferring detainees to the digging sites by special buses, even if the charges against them were false or not in accordance with ISIS's own laws according to many sources STJ got. In this regard, Omar.M talked in his testimony about his arrest and transferring him to digging sites by ISIS agents, he said:
"Hours after informing me that I will be transferred to the large prison, one of ISIS agents took me through the back door of al-Hisbah office, and then put me in a big bus, which included about 20 prisoners. Anyway, the bus took us outside Markadah, then it stopped about 10 kilometers away, we got shocked at seeing the trucks scene and some motorized that were digging. 200 meters away we saw a group of people digging with primitive digging tools, less than half an hour later, we were got out of the bus, arranged one after the other and given primitive tools, and they told us to start digging along a line painted on the ground with white sand, threatening us of kill if we speak any word. "
In a cross-checked testimony, Zuhair Khalil continued that agents of al-Hisbah office had also forced him to get on a big bus which took him to a desert area, found later that it was the western border of Markadah town. As soon as he arrived, agents of ISIS got him off the bus, and immediately gave him a primitive drilling tool, he was surprised by some persons arrived before him and were ordered to dig according to a line drawn on the ground by white sand material.
In turn, the young man Ammar Jamil's mother, repeated what he later mentioned, as she noted that her son informed her of that following his escape from ISIS later.
Third: Salvation and Escape from Digging Ditches Task:
After ISIS forced many detainees to dig ditches, many of them tried to escape this hard task, as ISIS did not provide enough food for them and forced them to sleep in the open.
In this regard, Omar.M talked to STJ about his successful escape on July 28, 2017, he said:
"After three days of digging and sleeping in the open, I thought a lot about salvation and escape, and I convinced myself that if I were killed, my situation would be much better than now. Since they forced us to dig from early morning, specifically from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., then served us one meal, then we got back to work until 7:00 p.m., they feed us again, and because of exhaustion, we sleep and do not think about anything. Therefore, I made up my mind to flee, and on July 28, 2017, I managed to escape at night and headed to eastern Markadah town. Then I asked a family to stay with them a few hours, and a member of them contacted my family. On July 30, 2017, I was taken out by a smuggler by giving him 250, 000 Syrian pound, so I managed to escape outside the administrative boundaries of the town, and I resorted to one of my relatives in Ash Shaddadi town. More than two months have passed since I am in the town, and still waiting for my family to flee from Markadah town as well, they have not yet been able to do so, and all I know is that the situation there is very difficult."
On June 26, 2017, the attempt of the young Zuhair Khalil to escape from ISIS grip succeeded too. Anyway, two days after working in digging, Zuhair could make friendship with one of ISIS agents, who told him a way to escape through, and recover the taxi, which ISIS confiscated it as well, then give it to one of the smugglers[4] to take him out of the digging site. On June 28, 2017, at 3:00 a.m., the smuggler could take Zuhair from the digging site, then he introduced him to another person, to oversee his fleeing journey, and he managed to reach al-Hadadiyah village, south of Ash -Shaddadi town where he stayed at his relative’s house.
For the young man, Ammar Jamil, who managed to escape along with his mother and younger sister after a deal with a smuggler, who in turn asked for a sum of 550 thousand Syrian pounds for getting them out. In this regard, mother of Ammar (Khawla al-Ali) continued explaining how she managed to smuggle her son from the digging site on July 1, 2017, she said:
"The smuggler was an agent of ISIS, and this is what facilitated reaching my son and telling him that he had to pretend of being very sick, so that the rest agents would take him to a medical point located north-west Markadah. Indeed that happened, on July 1, 2017, he was dispatched by ISIS agents to the same medical point, where he was unconscious when he was taken out of there, after being injected druge use in order to secure passing and entering him to Markadah town, and as soon as he arrived town, we were smuggled by one of the smugglers at 2:00 a.m. on July 2, 2017, and headed to al-Saa’da town located north of Markadah town where we stayed there for a while. On August 16, 2017, we were driven by a private car to al-Hasakah city, and we stayed in one of my relative’s house, but since my son Ammar is wanted for the compulsory military service of the Syrian Regime, I smuggled him to Turkey and I stayed with my daughter in al-Hasakah. "
[1] Means the Committee for "enjoin good and forbidden wrong, which monitors the worshipers and their commitment to go to mosques, dress in sharia costume, not to smoke and other things that are prohibited by ISIS. Al-Hisbah also urges people to abide by the orders of ISIS and “Caliphate”.
[2] At the beginning, the "duty of jihad" was more closely related to the issue of "calling for jihad." However, since the beginning of August 2017, after the announcement of the opening of “The Called up Office”, the duty of Jihad began to include forced recruitment of people over the age of 18, and all of those who can use a weapon. This was not declared by ISIS at the beginning of its formation because of its lack of confidence in the locals and the adequate number of volunteers it had.
[3] Is one of the military institutions loyal to ISIS, which looks for young men who failed to perform y military service for ISIS at the age of 18, and also oversees the consideration of young people who deferment military service for many reasons, including being the parents’ only son, a solo family breadwinner, disabled or had chronical or infectious illnesses.
[4] Zuhair pointed out in his testimony that the smuggler belonged to ISIS too.