Why I deserted the Syrian army

[FONT=&quot]Since the first months of the Syrian revolution in 2011, desertions from the ranks of the Syrian regime's army have been a daily phenomenon. Tens of thousands of men have deserted - and my destiny was to become one of them.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
During my childhood, my favourite toy was a type of plastic soldier. The army was always somewhere inside me, and I grew up dreaming of being in the army and protecting my country from enemies. I never imagined that the day would come when I would discover that this army and all its promises were one giant lie.

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[FONT=&quot]In the winter of 2013 in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, I was doing my compulsory military service which at the time involved working in a messaging centre on a computer.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I had started in 2010, months before the start of the revolution. It was supposed to be for a year-and-a-half, but my stint turned into three years because of the war. If I was still in Syria, maybe I would still be serving.

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