Tons of of former Syrian troopers on Saturday reported to the nation’s new rulers for the primary time since Bashar Assad was ousted to reply questions on whether or not they could have been concerned in crimes in opposition to civilians in change for a promised amnesty and return to civilian life.

The previous troopers trooped to what was once the pinnacle workplace in Damascus of Assad’s Baath celebration that had dominated Syria for six a long time. They have been met with interrogators, former insurgents who stormed Damascus on Dec. 8, and given a listing of questions and a registration quantity. They have been free to go away.

Some members of the defunct navy and safety providers ready outdoors the constructing instructed The Related Press that they’d joined Assad’s forces as a result of it meant a steady month-to-month revenue and free medical care.

The autumn of Assad took many abruptly as tens of hundreds of troopers and members of safety providers didn’t cease the advancing insurgents. Now answerable for the nation, and Assad in exile in Russia, the brand new authorities are investigating atrocities by Assad’s forces, mass graves and an array of prisons run by the navy, intelligence and safety companies infamous for systematic torture, mass executions and brutal circumstances.

Lt. Col. Walid Abd Rabbo, who works with the brand new Inside Ministry, stated the military has been dissolved and the interim authorities has not determined but on whether or not these “whose palms are usually not tainted in blood” can apply to hitch the navy once more. The brand new leaders have vowed to punish these answerable for crimes in opposition to Syrians below Assad.

A number of places for the interrogation and registration of former troopers have been opened in different elements of Syria in latest days.

“Right this moment I’m coming for the reconciliation and don’t know what’s going to occur subsequent,” stated Abdul-Rahman Ali, 43, who final served within the northern metropolis of Aleppo till it was captured by insurgents in early December.

“We obtained orders to go away all the things and withdraw,” he stated. “I dropped my weapon and placed on civilian garments,” he stated, including that he walked 14 hours till he reached the central city of Salamiyeh, from the place he took a bus to Damascus.

Ali, who was making 700,000 kilos ($45) a month in Assad’s military, stated he would serve his nation once more.

Contained in the constructing, males stood briefly traces in entrance of 4 rooms the place interrogators requested every a listing of questions on a paper.

“I see remorse of their eyes,” an interrogator instructed AP as he questioned a soldier who now works at a shawarma restaurant within the Damascus suburb of Harasta. He spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of he was not allowed to speak to media.

The interrogator requested the soldier the place his rifle is and the person responded that he left it on the base the place he served. He then requested for and was handed the soldier’s navy ID.

“He has turn out to be a civilian,” the interrogator stated, including that the authorities will perform their very own investigation earlier than questioning the identical soldier once more inside weeks to ensure there are not any adjustments within the solutions that he gave on Saturday.

The interrogator stated after almost two hours that he had quizzed 20 troopers and the numbers are anticipated to extend within the coming days.

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Related Press author Albert Aji contributed to this report.

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Comply with the AP’s Syria protection at https://apnews.com/hub/syria