AFP reports: Young Syrian men in regime-controlled areas are using any means necessary, including violent demonstrations, to avoid military conscription – even if they support the government.

More than 80,000 soldiers and other pro-regime fighters have been killed in the 4-year-old conflict, out of a total of roughly 220,000 dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“I’m with the regime but I am a deserter, because military service in Syria means death,” said George, a Christian student from Damascus.

“Very few young men accept to enlist because at our age, no one wants to die.” [Continue reading…]