Syrian jihadi group exploits poverty in Idlib to attract new members
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls Idlib, is taking advantage of the difficult living conditions of the people to attract more people into its ranks by offering high salaries.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is still the largest and most dominant faction in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, amid its continuous attempts to control other areas to expand its influence, despite the existence of other factions supported by Turkey.
HTS is trying to exploit the poverty of the youth to push them to join its ranks by luring them with a panoply of incentives.
A young man who joined HTS about five months ago told Al-Monitor, “I am 20 years old and I decided to join HTS despite my family’s initial rejection. The fact that I needed money, that I was unemployed and that I lacked any professional experience have all led me to join the group’s ranks. I have friends who joined the group a year ago and they convinced me to follow in their footsteps.”
Asked about the ages of those joining HTS, he replied, “Many youths are joining the group — most are between 18 and 30 years old.”
