(Telegraph-UK) Harriet Alexander, and Ruth Sherlock - Dr. Mousab Azzawi described members of the Shabiha militia he treated in his clinic in Latakia: "They were like monsters. They had huge muscles, big bellies, big beards. They were all very tall and frightening, and took steroids to pump up their bodies." "I had to talk to them like children, because the Shabiha likes people with low intelligence. But that is what makes them so terrifying - the combination of brute strength and blind allegiance to the regime." "Even before the revolution, any time there was unrest they would go out into the streets and stop it for the government," said Selma, an Alawite, to which almost all of the Shabiha belong. "They would just break people's arms and legs." Initially the Shabiha were a mafia clan, making money through racketeering. The ruling Assad family turned a blind eye to their criminal behavior and violent methods. In return, the Shabiha became the Assads' enforcers.
2012-06-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive