Ahmed Ali says he was fired from his job as a Syrian civil servant in 2019 for refusing to do his mandatory military service.
“I refused to join the army and kill people,” Ali, who is using a pseudonym, told Middle East Eye.
After his dismissal, he decided to dedicate himself to his pistachio farm – 150 dunums (15 hectares) of trees in the northern Hama countryside that has been in the family for more than 50 years.
Before the 2011-2024 civil war broke out, Syria’s multimillion-dollar pistachio industry ranked fourth in the world.
During the conflict, northern Hama - the pistachio heartland - became the front line between the Syrian army and rebel factions.
