Syrian regime pledges $70 a month for long-serving conscripts

Syrian regime pledges $70 a month for long-serving conscripts
The Syrian regime pledged $70 a month for a year, for long serving army conscripts.
2 min read
11 February, 2019
The regime pledged extra support to army soldiers (Getty)
The Council of Ministers for the Syrian regime announced a program of support for those who have spent more than five years in compulsory army service, or those who have been discharged as a result of their injuries, pledging $35,000 Syrian pounds per month, equivalent to $70, for a year.

The Council said that during the year it would facilitate access to employment in the public, private of civil sectors, and encourage the start-up of small businesses.

Since the outbreak of protests in March 2011, the regime has forcibly conscripted Syrians, causing anger, even from regime supporters. 

Families of Syrian soldiers killed in the Aleppo offensive were compensated with $98.

While Syrian army conscripts are paid a salary of around $200 a month, there have been reports of soldiers profiting from bribes and looting. 

study carried out by the Carnegie Institute found that Syrian army officials were provided housing and benefits, which could explain the absence of mass-scale defections from the upper ranks of the army. 

The Syrian conflict began when the Baath regime, in power since 1963 and led by President Bashar al-Assad, responded with military force to peaceful protests demanding democratic reforms during the Arab Spring wave of uprisings, triggering an armed rebellion fueled by mass defections from the Syrian army.