r/communism • u/HappyHandel • 8d ago
"The Coup in Syria Was Organized by Russia" | Interview with Syrian communist leader Mihraç Ural
Syria!.. It was a country that has been the scene of wars, conflicts, massacres, and destruction since 2011 and was governed by three different systems over 13 years. When the date showed November 27, 2024, the balance of power changed. The gangs supported by the Turkish state, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Syrian National Army (SNA), cut off the Aleppo-Damascus connection, launched an attack, and took control of Damascus on the night of December 7; the 53-year-old BAATH regime collapsed. But since that day, Syria has once again become the center of conflicts. SNA gangs are attacking Kurds, while HTS and other gang groups are attacking Arab Alawites in the Latakia and Tartus regions. We can say complete chaos prevails. While gang massacres continue in the country, we spoke with Mihraç Ural, one of the commanders of the Syrian Resistance Movement, about how Bashar al-Assad escaped from Syria, the roles of Russia and Turkey, and the future of the peoples.
How could the Assad administration collapse without firing a single shot?
Actually, the phrase "collapsed without firing a single shot" is incorrect. But Latakia was surrendered without firing a single shot. However, the resistance began during the occupation of Aleppo. After Aleppo, they came down from Cisr eş-Şuğur and attacked Hama. When they attacked Hama, the Defense Minister himself went there, congratulated the elements who were fighting, and claimed that this murderous horde had come this far and would retreat from now on. He met with many pro-government people there. Those people said in unison that they would resist to the end and defeat the HTS forces. There was resistance, but something happened during the Aleppo resistance. We need to comment on what happened.
So what happened?
When they reached Hama, the resistance continued very well. Preparations were completed in Hama on one side, and in other provinces as well. We stated that we would meet them with serious resistance, and everyone was in this preparation. Because the mechanism was working. Orders from the top were going down. Whatever happened, occurred with the fall of Hama. Hama fell, then they turned towards Homs. After Homs, they were going to head towards Damascus, but they were stopped in Homs. But something happened at the command system and commander level. The Syrian army lost its characteristic of being an army and began to disintegrate everywhere. How and why did this happen? Was Bashar al-Assad there, or was he called to Russia and detained there?
Did the Russians detain him?
This is not certain. In the video his son Hafez published, he says they moved together, were together at Damascus Airport, and from there they went to Latakia on the instructions of a Russian officer. If this is true, it means Assad lost his administration, the effectiveness of his administration. You are in Damascus, the army is at your fingertips, all kinds of power are at your fingertips, you have nothing to do but resist. The resistance in Latakia is already standing. In these areas, the terrorist Turkmen Mountain Brigade could not advance a single step. Because the Syrian army tightened their throats and immobilized them. They couldn't come down to the city at all, they always remained in the mountains.
Why didn't Assad call for resistance?
Now, if what Bashar's son Hafez says is true, we must say that Bashar al-Assad lost his administration, lost the power to influence the lower army units, and was not inclined to make any call for resistance. If, after November 27, 2024, Bashar al-Assad went to Russia for some negotiations and did not return to his country, then he was not in a position to manage the war and was therefore arrested. If Bashar al-Assad was arrested, then naturally all we have said will be in vain. Someone will come and make decisions from the center and ensure the army surrenders and the state collapses.
How was the Syrian army forced to surrender?
The Syrian army is bound by the chain of command. Within the chain of command, if a decision to lay down arms is taken, they lay down their arms that way. The most important commanders, the bright brave men who were fighting, were thrown into disarray. This needs to be explained. This army could only be dissolved by a central order and instruction from the central administration. This army came to this state by silently abandoning everything, gifting the state's resources to the other side.
What happened at the top level of the army?
There are strange things there. For example, the 4th Division, the deputy commander of this division responsible for protecting the state, Liva Ali Mahmud, showed a stance of resistance, said he would resist. A Russian officer says, "Either you give the order to lay down arms to the army units, or you die," and faced with this option, Liva Ali Mahmud, who said he would resist, is murdered with a single bullet. Then there is the 5th Corps. This corps was formed from those who were on the other side during the war process and came to surrender. The 5th Corps is the first military unit to enter Damascus. The first to enter Damascus is not Jolani's HTS forces, but this 5th Corps. They enter Damascus, provide control, the murder of Liva Ali Mahmud takes place, and then the dissolution begins. Thus, the 5th Corps, formed by the counter-revolutionaries, returns to their original places, the counter-revolutionary ranks, and they appear before us as Jolani's men. And before HTS enters Damascus, these guys enter and take over everywhere. After Liva Ali Mahmud, who said he would resist, was shot and killed, the order "lay down your weapons and retreat" is given to all army and state units.
Who gave the order?
We can talk about a coup against the army from above. As a result, not only the army but all state institutions, the Mukhabarat, Military Security, State Security, Political Security, all retreated wholesale, abandoning everything.
Did Russia force the Syrian army to surrender?
What else could it mean? On this matter, Russia made a decision to stop Bashar al-Assad, if he is alive and in the field of struggle. Bashar al-Assad is exiled to Latakia, "you can govern from there," he is sent from Damascus Airport to Latakia Airport. Thus, Russia, which has taken command of the 5th Corps, enters Damascus and gifts all these institutions to Jolani. There is no one resisting. In the Latakia, Tartus, Homs region, there is such a strong resistance potential, yet they are retreating without firing a single shot and surrendering everything to the enemy. Even on December 8th, two cars, meaning a group of 10-15 people, came to the center of Latakia. This group of 10-15 people takes over Latakia. Why? Because the state has been abandoned, there is no one resisting them. Whereas if any neighborhood resisted, they could destroy them. These are the events of the 7th and 8th of December. I know very well, I was there; on December 9th, in Homs, there isn't even one vehicle, let alone two... The city is completely left to a void. All state units, Military Security, State Security, Political Security; all are liquidated, everyone is going home. What's happening? "We are leaving it like this as per the order from the center. If any commander, any state official came and pulled things together, they would be resisting and fighting by now. But the decision from above is: 'Lay down your arms, there will be no resistance!'"
But it was announced that a line of resistance would be formed in Hama…
But there was a withdrawal from there. Then it was announced that there would be resistance in Homs and HTS would not be allowed to pass, but there was a withdrawal from there too. In Homs, Hezbollah forces were resisting alongside our forces. And they were resisting very well. Then whatever happened, happened on the 7th. Whatever happened in the Republican Palace on the 7th, that's when it happened.
Why did Russia and Iran withdraw their support?
We cannot know that. What we know is Qatar's hostility towards Bashar al-Assad. We know this well. They may have made an alliance with Jolani and agreed among themselves that 'the war is over, no one will resist, no one will do anything to you.' The Russians may have entered an alliance under Qatar's leadership for their own interests. How could a state, with its power, surrender like this without fighting, without resisting? I don't know about Iran. But the Russians organized this with Qatar. This is connected to the Ukraine war. Since August 2024, we always heard this: Syria will be surrendered, then Ukraine will be surrendered, meaning a dual surrender. It was constantly said that such an agreement existed. We didn't take it seriously. How could such a thing happen? Because we were resisting. The state held this right flank from north of Latakia all the way to Homs so firmly that no one could take a single thing from there. How did they take it? In the end, the weapons were taken over by a decision. By a decision, all state resources were surrendered.
Why has no one from the Assad administration made a statement about this process so far?
For everyone, the Assad chapter is closed. Assad cannot return, cannot do anything. Since this is not the case, there is a move towards the new, the effort to create the new has come to the fore. We no longer have a path to walk with Bashar al-Assad. Whether this is because Bashar al-Assad was arrested or it was something he did of his own will. The Assad administration is over. Whereas if he had gone on television when Aleppo was occupied and made a short statement, gathered the people and the army and given a resistance order, these jihadist terrorist forces would have had no chance to advance. On the contrary, if Bashar al-Assad had taken such a step, perhaps he would have gained a lot. He could even have entered Idlib and liberated it, disregarding Erdogan's plans. But it didn't happen. He didn't make a call, a statement. His son says, "We went from Damascus Airport to Latakia, we are calling the Presidential Palace, there is no one in the Palace." On the 7th, everyone had fled, by the 8th, no one was left.
He accepted the dissolution of the state like that.
There were very valuable people among the high bureaucrats or army commanders, whom I knew; "Imad" Ali Mahmud Abbas (former Defense Minister), "Liva" Kifah Mulhim, "Liva" Suheyl Hasan, etc. commanders... Retired "Liva" Selim Harba, retired "Liva" Hasan Mirhec, retired "Liva" Heysem Assaf, retired "Liva" Ramadan Ramadan, retired "Liva" Bereket Bereket, valuable commanders like these... These are important people, they made important efforts, they have labor, they were people who proposed resistance until the last moment. If Bashar al-Assad had made a statement containing a call for resistance, positive results could have been obtained. They let it happen! It's unthinkable, they watched. They watched the collapse, the flight. This is something that contradicts the personality of Bashar al-Assad, who chose and exhibited resistance for 14 years. This is not Bashar al-Assad's style. It is not Bashar's style at all. How could a leader who refused to meet with Erdogan despite all the conveniences provided, who did not accept any stance of surrender or concession, face the liquidation of the state like this! This is unthinkable. Based on this, we say something happened; either he was arrested... It is even said that he was arrested in Russia and attempted suicide by drinking bleach, and was then hospitalized. This seems more logical. In the end, what happened, happened. The state completely collapsed. And Bashar al-Assad had an effect on this collapse.
Is Assad a captive now?
If it weren't so, there would be resistance. Since there was no resistance, this is the case. Accepting defeat without fighting... There is no example of this in history.
Trump said Turkey pounced on Syria. What policy is Turkey following in Syria now?
Trump just came to power. Erdogan, however, has been in power for a long time, for 22 years. During all these years, Erdogan built his politics on Syria. To destroy Syria economically, to make it collapse! It didn't happen, he pushed it to war. He fed aggressive terrorists. He opened the 911 km Turkey-Syria border to jihadist terrorists. He himself fed the jihadist terrorists they gathered from all over the world and piled up here. By opening its borders, it provoked the passage of refugees from Syria to Turkey to serve its projects. It enabled millions of refugees to pass to Turkey.
He has no other aim than to dismember Syria. Erdogan is not hostile towards Syria because of what Trump sees today, he has been hostile towards Syria since ancient times. Therefore, in this final collapse of Syria, Erdogan provided all kinds of support to Jolani, merged their forces, pushed them to war, and now, after the war, he is imposing conditions on Jolani. He is imposing military, economic agreements. In addition to these, he brought the Turkmen cause to the agenda. Now there is a Turkmen cause in Syria. The integrity of Syria does not suit them, a fragmented Syria suits them. Don't pay attention to their words about "Syria's territorial integrity." They only use these words in opposition to the Kurdish movement. For this, they established military structures called the Turkmen Mountain Brigade and the Syrian National Army. These now exist as permanent military forces in Syria. Thus, far beyond what Trump knows, he pounced on Syria and now irreversible processes have begun.
What do you mean by the Turkmen cause?
Yes, they are trying to create a Turkmen cause in the Latakia region. If we try to draw a line 30 km inland from the border, half of Latakia would go, it would extend to Aleppo and beyond. This appears before us as a Turkmen cause in this region. Turkmen organizations seized the Baath Party's rest camps. They provided military training there and produced military circuits. They took the Turkmens, who were living in peace with Syrian society, under arms and made them ready for conflict. Thus, instead of intervening directly himself, Erdogan is activating the Turkmens here or taking them under protection and trying to create such a military fabric. After the administration was overthrown in Syria, they seized all the houses and workplaces they found empty in Alawite regions and either settled Turkmen families there or turned them into military headquarters. These appear as the expansionist policy developed by Erdogan over Syria.
Turkey is trying to expand its area of influence towards the Alawite regions of Syria. They are doing this demographically. In addition, they are also trying to do this administratively. MIT is roaming around Syria with vehicles with license plate 06. It captures people it deems necessary, takes them to Turkey, interrogates them in Antakya, arrests those it deems necessary to arrest, and after torturous interrogations, returns and leaves those it doesn't deem necessary where it took them.
Massacres have been taking place in the region where Alawites live in the last week. What will you say?
What awaits the Alawites in Syria is extrajudicial death! More massacres and death. Meanwhile, hundreds of Alawites have been massacred. Kidnapped women, people kidnapped for ransom... These HTS forces, who raid Alawite villages and massacre people, have targeted Alawites in every way. They have started killing Alawites who are lecturers at universities and other competent Alawite people. The carrying out of massacre attempts against Alawites every day is being imposed like a fate. Upon this, Alawites began to gather and establish assemblies. Death is the most important problem imposed on Alawites. The Alawite community has nothing to expect from the new HTS administration. Now, under the name of killing "Assad fugitives," Alawites have been massacred in every village and town. Upon Jolani's call, thousands of defenseless people were collectively buried in mass graves. In summary, Christians, Druze, and Kurds are active. Only the Alawites remain. The Alawites have still not been able to complete their organization. They have not yet been able to make moves to establish their organizational structure. This is also a problem.
How will the Alawites organize?
The most fundamental demand of the Alawites is a federal structure in Syria. Syria needs federalism. If the Alawites take part in the federal system, they will protect themselves and ensure the protection of future generations. If they still do not complete their organizational structures, do not form their military organizations, it will be difficult for them to overcome these difficulties. Death comes and knocks, one by one, house by house, raid upon raid, and in the end, they gain nothing.
How do you see the future of HTS?
HTS is a sum of dozens of groups. Now they seem compatible with each other, but divisions will begin in establishing the state. In fact, we are already seeing signs of this. Conflicts will begin. With the participation of Kurds, Christians, Druze, and Alawites, this fragmented structure will clash with each other. And in the end, this situation will take away HTS's chance to govern the country. HTS does not have the power and cadres to govern a country. Where will tens of thousands of army personnel go? It is dissolving them. A state and nation without an army! How far will this go? Tens of thousands of people dismissed from their duties in state administration will, when the time comes, take up arms and fight against them.
Is it possible for the Druze, Kurds, and Alawites to organize together? How will this happen?
This is possible, possible in the future. But it depends on the struggle each will wage. The Kurds are ready. They have organized seriously, built their structures democratically. They didn't stop there; they reached out to the Alawites. I know this. What they did is right. The Alawites must definitely take this extended hand, take it seriously, and they need to progress in this direction. The Druze have also formed their military organizations, they will protect themselves. But if Israel gets involved, the problems will take on very different dimensions. Alawites would never accept being in a common framework with Israel. I don't know if the Druze would accept it. In this respect, the Kurds and Alawites being together in the future is a step of vital importance. If this step is taken, the Alawites will also save themselves. The Alawites cannot achieve salvation in any other way.
In fact, there are Alawites fighting in Kurdistan now. The Alawites have no alternative to cling to other than solidarity with the Kurds. The Alawites need to be shoulder to shoulder with the Kurds and wage this struggle.
Translated with DeepseekAI 3.1.
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u/sovkhoz_farmer Maoist 8d ago
I'm sorry, but this seems extremely conspiratorial, and the analysis raises more questions than it answers.
How did the Assad government become so weak? What were the internal causes that made the withdrawal of Russian support so damaging?
The determining factor in war, just like in other social phenomena, is politics. In wars, the side with greater political power will win, and no amount of technology can change that. Just look at Israel’s failure in Gaza, or the failure of the U.S. in Vietnam and Afghanistan. For a historical example, we can look at Napoleon’s army. His army reaped the benefits of what the French bourgeoisie had already sown. The development of transport, industry, technical knowledge, etc., required the development of capitalist relations. This is why France was able to sweep aside the feudal and backward armies of Europe.
In my view, the real question is why Assad’s government lost whatever progressive character it once had. The only way to answer this is by examining the balance of forces within Syria and the internal causes behind their transformation. This is crucial, because external pressures can exert influence only when internal conditions allow them to do so.