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There were many of those who took part and supported the people in anti-Assad protests, which were sweeping the province of Deir Ezzor during the beginning of the Syrian revolution in 2011. Their activities were characterized by secrecy, and thus they remained anonymous to everyone. Most of them were young people. However, the revolutionary activities were not only limited to the youth, after a 60-years-old man made a daring step by getting himself involved in the revolution. He would incite his sons and people in his village to take it to the streets, which was a sacrifice that would not have been offered from an ordinary man during those hard times the province was facing.
Fayad Al-Habd Abu Yasser, who was also known as Abu Yasser Al Dahla among the rebels and the security branches in Deir Ezzor, never attended anti-Assad protests, however, he always urged his sons and brothers to take it to the street. His role was to track down the regime activities and protect the people from Assad forces’ barbarity.
When the situation started to get worse in the city of Deir Ezzor, Abu Yasser decided to move to his village. His house was always crowded with protesters in a time other people in villages near Abu Yasser were showing their support to the regime. Sometimes, they would crack down on the protestors, including Abu Yassir. Being an old man, Abu Yasser never considered them as his main concern. He began establishing strong ties with civilians in other villages opposed to the Assad-regime, serving as a link between villages in Al-Shamiya region of Deir Ezzor and those in Al-Jazeera in the eastern countryside.
Aby Yasser played a significant role in helping regime dissents stay safe. He would search for safe passages to help them cross the Euphrates River and sometimes he would host them until a passage way was found. This was not an easy task to fulfil, given the fact that several regime check posts were established in the region at the time. The house of Aby Yasser was turned into an office where all anti-Assad protestors from neighboring villages would gather. Several meetings were held in it during which military plans were set up, as the revolution was beginning to shift from peaceful to armed uprising.
On October 2011, Aby Yasser Al Dahla was arrested by Assad forces and was transferred to one of the notorious regime detention centers in the country, where he spent three months during which he was subjected to the worst methods of torture.
Aby Yasser was the man who always assured other detainees in the detention center, he was a source of hope for them. He would not sleep in case one of the detainees was ill, as told by one of the detainees. He was like a father for them. In the beginning of 2012, Abu Yasser was released to carry on his revolutionary career. This time, he chose to take up arms after realizing that the peaceful protests would not bring anything when dealing with a tyrannical regime like Assad.
He was given the name “Sheikh Al Mujahideen” (leader of Mujahideen). He turned his house into a military headquarter and field hospital equipped with few medical devices. It was also a place of refuge for regime defectors from outside the province after sending his family members to a safe place.
Aby Yasser took part in the majority of FSA battles against the regime, some of which were successful in the liberation of several key areas. Those who wanted to go to Deir Ezzor city, which was besieged by the regime at the time; always had to coordinate with Aby Yassir to facilitate their entry to the city.
During FSA battles against the regime, which took place in Al Jazeera region. The house of Abu Yassir was transformed into an FSA operation room, where the leaders would meet and set up their plans. He partook in the battles of the liberation of Deir Ezzor military airport, during which many members of his battalion fell martyrs.
On 28 December 2016, Abu Yasser’s soul rose to the sky. This day had a significant impact on the history of the revolution in Deir Ezzor. He passed away due to a heart attack. He had had a heart attack before the day of his martyrdom and was hospitalized to the field hospital in the city of Muhassan. Doctors told him to stay in but he refused to leave the front lines to stay in his house for medical treatment. The day of his martyrdom had a huge influence on the whole province of Deir Ezzor, as it has lost a compassionate father who always assisted the protestors and Al Mujahedeen, offering all he could for the sake of the revolution.
Being a rebel is a very hard task which might take everything precious from you and this is what happened with respect to Abu Yassar’s family. Following his martyrdom, his sons followed in his steps. Two of them fell during battles that took place between FSA and Daesh in the region of Deir Ezzor, whereas the rest left the province for northern Syria