Syria regime's secret weapon in rebel town capture: motorbikes

Syrian pro-government forces drive motorbikes in the strategic town of Salma, in the coastal Latakia province, on January 15, 2016, following its recapture from rebel fighters. Youssef Karwashan/AFP

Salma // As Syrian forces battled to recapture the rebel stronghold of Salma last week, they relied not only on Russian air support but also a secret weapon: motorbikes.

Adapting a tactic used by both their rebel opponents and the pro-regime fighters of Lebanon’s Hizbollah movement, government forces used dozens of the vehicles to navigate the town’s tiny alleys.

Soldiers said they were key to the recapture of Salma, a town that was a rare rebel stronghold in the regime bastion of coastal Latakia province.

Syrian army soldier Hany, 25, said he spent most of the past nine months on a motorbike, fighting street battles for the town that fell from government control in 2012.

“The way we fight has changed since the beginning of the war, and we have developed our offensive methods,” he said, dismounting from his muddy vehicle after a spin through the recaptured town.

“Nowadays, we use motorbikes for their speed and mobility,” he said.

While rebel snipers managed to hit a car delivering meals to regime forces several times, Hany said he could outmanoeuvre such fire.

“My bike is harder to track and is too light to set off landmines,” he said.

While small, Salma’s many narrow alleys, and the forests and hills that surround it, made the fight for its recapture long and hard.

Some of the streets could not be navigated with cars, armoured vehicles or tanks, troops said.

“It was the use of more than 80 motorbikes in the last battle for the town that had the greatest impact in terms of winning in the final 72 hours,” one field commander said.

Motorbikes have long been used by rebels in Syria and beyond, and the commander acknowledged the tactic is one regime forces picked up from their foes.

“We don’t deny that we learned the tactic of using motorbikes from the militants,” he said.

The battle for Salma was fierce and destructive, and much of the town has been left in ruins.

For now, civilians have yet to return, and graffiti left by rebel groups that included Al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Al Nusra, is still daubed on walls.

But the capture of the town has been a key victory for the regime.

* Agence France-Presse