War profiteers plunder Syria
Both Syrian government forces and rebels are accused of rampant, systematic looting and robbery of civilian homes.
ALEPPO, Syria — To the victor go the spoils: That might be true for most other wars, but the Syrian conflict has proven to be far outside the established norms and conventions governing the conduct of battle. From the petty theft of armed highwaymen, to the systematic wholesale emptying of entire neighborhoods and industrial zones, in Syria the spoils are going to whoever has a gun, and there are plenty of those about.
While it is perhaps unremarkable to find small-scale opportunistic thieves and gangs operating in any conflict where lawlessness and chaos prevail, what has set the Syrian war aside is the sheer scale and organization of some of the brazen acts of thievery that have taken place.
