Syrian Regime Hunts Down Men Dodging Mandatory Army Service'Across the country, an increasing number of would-be soldiers are ducking Syria's mandatory 18-month military service requirement.
In most cases, the young men are either hiding out — or taking up arms for the opposition.
Hossam, a 26-year-old from Hama, has been summoned by the Syrian army to fulfill the compulsory 18-month service required of all young men here. But three years into a conflict that has killed more than 62,800 fighters from all sides, he is refusing to comply.
"The Syrian army is no longer the nation's army, and nothing motivates me to join it," he says.'
And that's why Assad isn't going to win, however many bombs he drops trying. This fracturing for society is ignored by those who have looked at the balance of weaponry held by Assad and the opposition and assumed inevitable victory for the former.