Syria: a new series of training courses for 145 members of the Free Syrian Army, the Islam Army and Kurdish forces

In July 2015, both inside and outside Syria, Geneva Call’s local partner trained more than 80 military officers, combatants and selected members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Islam Army on international humanitarian norms. Most were former civilians who had taken up arms, and many had only a very basic knowledge of the laws applicable in situations of armed conflict.

Prior to their training, when asked the question, Can a person who delivers food to the enemy be considered a military target? most participants had wrongly answered Yes. Using a series of questions like this, trainers presented the main rules related to the protection of civilians and broadly discussed their practical implementation with the participants.

To make the training more interactive and to give it a greater impact, trainers used Geneva Call’s Fighter not Killer tools, including a mobile phone quiz, booklets and videos clips.

Inside Syria, three one-day training courses were given to the military leaders of the Islam Army and two FSA brigades in Alep and Latakia. An additional course took place outside Syria for another FSA brigade.

Geneva Call conducted two further three-day training courses for 50 members of the anti-terror intervention forces and 15 members of the intelligence and administrative services of Asayish, the police forces of the Kurdish self-administration zone that covers a large strip of land in north-eastern Syria.