A rebel force deployed to a village in southeastern Damascus on Sunday to stop looters who swarmed a residential complex in the area 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.
Some of the homes were empty after pro-Assad supporters fled the area following the rebels’ capture of Damascus.
The rebel fighters have prioritised security in the capital, 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, had swarmed a residential complex, walking away with furniture, windows, food, copper wires, and anything they could 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.
Some looters fired grenades on apartments, setting them on fire. The residential complex houses former military officers and soldiers.
The rebels fired at the crowd to drive them away. They also called on looters still inside the buildings to hand themselves in. Some looters fled, still hanging onto their booty, while the force detained about a dozen.
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