Terrorism targets livestock in the Hama desert, attempts to prevent farmers from accessing pastures

Hama (ST):  The repeated terrorist attacks on the livestock herds, especially the sheep, in the desert of Hama, the latest and most severe of which was the targeting of more than 400 sheep in the Al-Rahjan district in the eastern Hama countryside,  constitutes clear evidence that they are orchestrated and systematic and aim to strike this vital productive sector that supports the livelihood of the people.

A field commander in the Syrian Arab Army from the region said that “the remnants of the terrorist organization (ISIS) in the Syrian desert have escalated their attacks during the recent period targeting civilians and tanker convoys loaded with oil derivatives, livestock and breeders,” indicating that the army units have intensified their campaigns to pursue the remnants of the terrorist organization, combing the areas of their deployment and clearing these areas from the remnants of the terrorists represented by the explosive devices and mines that they planted in various areas before their defeat.

The field commander indicated that the “combing operations were concentrated in Al-Badia regions that connect the governorates of Deir Ezzour, Homs, Hama and Raqqa, especially in the Badia of Hama, specifically in the Wadi al-Ozeieb region in the far eastern countryside of the governorate, which has recently witnessed an increase in the number of terrorist attacks and its intensity, as the last of these attacks resulted in the annihilation of about 400 sheep,” stressing that the army will continue securing operations in all areas despite the difficult terrain and vast areas, so that the people and livestock keepers feel safe and secure, and the Badia will return to be a rich source for raising AlOwass sheep as it was in the past.

Waseem Al-Jarf, head of the Veterinary Unit in Salamieh and responsible for the livestock wealth in Salamieh, mentioned that the central region in Syria, especially the Hama Badia, is the most important in producing livestock wealth on a large scale because it is a point of connection to the Badia and the northern and southern regions and it is very rich in its pastures, pointing out that the number of sheep in the Hama Badia before the terrorist war on Syria was estimated at 2 million heads. According to Al-Jarf, the number of the livestock wealth currently  present in the region is estimated between 600 and 800 thousand heads spread within safe areas, where veterinary services and pastures are provided for their breeding in addition to the support provided by the government to breeders by securing fodder materials, indicating that part of the Badia lands are cultivated with various fodder crops to be natural pastures for sheep.

K.Q.