Syrian rebel force deploys to a village near Damascus to stop looters

HUSSEINIYEH, Syria  — A rebel force deployed to a village in southeastern Damascus to stop looters who swarmed a residential complex and set some apartments on fire.

The raid by the rebel force comes a week after the fighters marched on the Syrian capital in their lightening offensive that forced Syrian President Bashar Assad to flee, ending five decades of his family rule.

The rebel fighters have prioritized security in Damascus, where there was limited looting of private properties and attacks on security and government buildings.

On Sunday, a rebel force arrived at the village of Husseiniyeh after looters, including women and children, emptied a residential complex, walking away with furniture, windows, food, copper wires and anything they can get their hands on.

“Our things were all looted. My house of 25 years is all looted. If they are not looting, they are burning. Everything. As you see. They started today with copper wires,” one resident said. He then stopped a child walking away with a box containing metal cables

Another resident, a school principal, said her house was looted and she was unable to stop it. She scolded the rebel force, and a fighter told her they will set up a checkpoint in the area to prevent the looters, who largely come from a nearby village.

At times, looters fired grenades at apartments, setting them on fire. The residential complex houses former military officers and soldiers

The rebels opened fire, shooting at the wheels of looters’ cars and next to the crowd to disperse it. No injuries were reported. They also called on looters still inside the buildings to hand themselves in.

Some looters fled, still hanging on to their booty, while the rebels detained about a dozen.