Syrians now obliged to fulfil military service

The Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad has introduced amendments to a law covering military service, under which all those who were exempted or had their conscription postponed will now be obliged to serve in the army, the Syrian Aran News Agency reported yesterday.

Official sources said that paragraph (H) of Article 25 of the 2007 Legislative Decree No. 30 regarding military service is henceforth cancelled; all service exemption approvals will be revoked.

According to Russia Today, all of those whose names have been removed or placed on a postponement list will now be conscripted into the armed forces. Those who have been exempted on medical grounds will be re-examined and assessed by an official committee.

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President Assad has been facing a crisis in the number of troops at his disposal following heavy losses during the civil war over the past six years.

In late March, the Defence Ministry in Damascus issued an order abolishing all previous service postponements for university students who possess non-specialist degrees. The ministry also decided to ban university students with previous postponements from traveling abroad, and to join the ranks of the regime forces until 21 November this year.