Assad’s former fighters underground as demobilization stalls

Assad’s former fighters underground as demobilization stalls

LATAKIA — “I had forgotten where I had even left it,” murmurs Laith (a pseudonym) with a nervous grin, handing over a small laminated card containing his photo and some scant personal details. “It’s not as if it’s any use to me anyway.”  This card was supposed to be a promise of safety. Instead it has become a jailer, a physical embodiment of Laith’s fear of arrest, disappearance or death.  The hazy light of the falling sun filters into the room…