Anhar Kochneva: ‘Abu Sakkar cut organs from dead body of Syrian soldier and put them in his mouth’

Who is Mr. Abu Sakkar?

Three years ago, when I escaped from the captivity of militants, the Syrian military was asking me: 'Have you been at Abu Sakkara's?'.

Who is this Abu Sakkar, I did not know at that moment because I was at another place. I didn't know him as well as I did not know the names of most of the people I had to see in the period from October 2012 to March 2013. Only a few months later I learnedthat several times I was in the vicinity of one of the most notorious field commanders of Syria. Only when the video filmed by militants and loaded by them appeared on the Internet. On this video, Abu Sakkar was cutting out the entrails from the dead body of a Syrian soldier and making himself a heroic undaunted look, he put it in his mouth. In his mouth.

Getting out of the captivity, I was able to identify many of those whom I knew only by sight. I found pages of fighters who I knew on Facebook. Names, surnames, nicknames. Photos, videos, reports of deaths as a result of fights with the army or, on the contrary, as a result of attacks by the ISIS [the organization banned in Russia – editor's note]. It is a sort of a little window into that world from which I have managed to escape: in just a few weeks the area where I was a captive turned into an arena of fights, the surviving at the outbreak of slaughter would be problematic.

Only a few months later I learned that several times I was in the vicinity of one of the most notorious field commanders of Syria

Either I would have been hurt by fire of friendly army, or I would have been put to expense as a burden by bandits desperate to wait an astronomical amount of ransom for me. The notorious video appeared about the same time. Imagining himself a fearless ferocious lion, Abu Sakkar showed that he was willing to do with his enemies. It turned out to be not so much frightening as vile and disgusting. Besides, metaphors were not understood by those who already had been proving strenuously to all and sundry for two years that government forces in Syria were opposed by a sort of noble robinhoods fighting for freedom and democracy against the bloody Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party.

Escape to al-Qaida

Therefore, contrary to the expectations of the 'hero', the reaction to this crazy act was mostly negative. Most field commanders, members of the Council of the so-called Faruk Brigades (was a mass organization – a part of the notorious Free Syrian Army – FSA), did not approve this behavior. He eventually joined the far more radical group, officially the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda (unlike the ISIS, from which even al-Qaeda turned back, i.e. expelled from the Gestapo for excessive cruelty).

Abu Sakkar and his squad became a part of Jabhat al-Nusra. By the way, unlike the ISIS, with which the FSA are at loggerheads, with the Nusra the FSA is quite allies. Last summer, they conquered the town of Idlib together (one of the two major capital cities of provinces that at the moment are fully in the hands of the militants; the second city — Raqqa, situated on the East of the country).

The profile of Abu Sakkara on Facebook, as I remember, was closed several times. But even so, the available profile at the moment has 2 500 friends and 400 followers.

The users leave comments of condolence, weeping smileys and strongly lament the irreparable loss. This time, it's serious. But two years ago, when one similar militant was killed, which someone thought it was Abu Sakkara, the owner of the profile was giggling in the comments and let everyone know that he was alive. Now someone with access to this account writes that it is really OVER.

Laying cards on the table

According to information from the profiles of fighters, the squad of Abu Saqqara was heading to the Jabal al-Akrad (Mountain of the Kurds) in the province of Latakia. And somewhere there he got ambushed by the soldiers of the Syrian army. According to witnesses, their commander got 26 wounds. The body, judging by the posted photo, the militants could bring away and bury.

Abu Sakkar and his squad became a part of Jabhat al-Nusra

The real name of Abu Sakkara is Khaled Hamd. A native of the southern suburb of Homs, Baba Amr. The revolutionaries captured this area were squeezed out from this area in the countryside by the army in February 2012. This is actually one of those who five years ago dragged Syria into what it is going on now. Most of these characters have already died.

Two ways for fighters – in a graveyard or into exile

Three years ago, when I was in captivity of militants, one of them mentioned in a telephone conversation that in total about 800 people came out of Baba Amr, and at the time of the conversation, a little more than 200 remained alive… Judging by the profiles in social networks, many of the survivors went back to civilian life. Some of them live in Europe now, others in Istanbul, others — in Lebanon.

There is no way back to Syria for them, where the government army wins. The majority of the rioters, as mentioned above, already 'moved' to the cemetery.

Three years ago, peacefully chatting over a cup of coffee with Ammar Bucai who held me in captivity (at the moment he seems to head all Faruk Brigades in Syria), a man, unlike Khaled Hamd, much more sane, I talked about the fact that no real revolution has brought to the organizers the happiness. As J. Danton said before the execution, it always devours its children. As the God Saturn. The events and the tragedy in Syria – another proof of this thesis. In the bloody meat grinder, there disappear half-mad cannibals like Abu Sakkara, as well as more sensible 'freedom fighters' (who do not understand until the end what they had to get involved in), normal and peaceful people, becoming victims and hostages to the realization of other people's ambitious plans for rebuilding the world.