Syria's lords of war - Al-Monitor
A shabiha member I met in the Akrama neighborhood of Homs, Syria, told me why he took up arms and joined the militia, on the condition that I not use his name or photo. Abdo Khodr al-Tellawi with his two sons and cousin in Homs'. The second event came soon after, when a bus headed to Zahra was stopped and 13 people were killed, including three women. All the victims were Alawites, he said. The rebels continued their violent anti-Alawite campaign, cutting off roads and picking up Alawites. Twice I was able to save myself from their checkpoint by speaking with Sunni Arabic dialect. In Tartus , a man asked me what, as a journalist, I was looking for in Syria. He said, “Ah, you are looking for me,” and invited me to his villa in the village of Douheir Taha. He showed me his wall safe, which held three passports, many checkbooks, a little cash and three hand grenades. “This safe was full of money before the war,” he said. Then he opened his computer to show his photographs from the Damascus, Qalamoun, Kassab and Homs fronts. I asked him how he came to turn from businessman to warlord. “As the proprietor of Al Zaim company, I had offices in Tartus, Aleppo, Damascus, Raqqa and Idlib. Source: www.al-monitor.com
