Hatla massacre

Last updated

Hatla massacre
Part of the Syrian civil war
Syria adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Hatla, Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria
Date11 June 2013 (2013-06-11)
Attack type
Massacre
Deaths30–60
VictimShia villagers
Motive Sectarian

The Hatla massacre was the killing of 30 to 60 Shia villagers, including some who were armed, conducted by Syrian opposition fighters and Salafist Al-Nusra Front members in the eastern Syrian village of Hatla, near Deir ez-Zor, on 11 June 2013 during the Syrian civil war. At least 30 of the dead were civilians. [1] [2] [3] According to a UN report, 30 people were killed. [4]

A video posted online on 11 June, entitled "The storming and cleansing of Hatla", showed fighters waving the black Salafi flag and celebrating. The language used in the videos is sectarian. "This is the Shia, this is the Shia carcass, this is their end," the cameraman says. That video "indicates those responsible were non-Syrians, possibly from Kuwait." [5]

According to opposition activists, most of the dead were pro-government fighters but civilians were killed as well, including women and children. [6] [7] Three Shia clerics were also among the dead. [8] Reports said that 30 civilians were killed. [1] Syrian opposition forces also burned civilian houses and a Shia mosque during the takeover. [9] [7] 10 rebel fighters were killed during the attack. 150 Shia residents fled to the nearby government-held village of Jafra. [3]

Related Research Articles

Siege of Homs Siege

The siege of Homs was a military confrontation between the Syrian military and the Syrian opposition in the city of Homs, a major rebel stronghold during the Syrian Civil War. The siege lasted three years from May 2011 to May 2014, and resulted in an opposition withdrawal from the city.

The Hama Governorate clashes were a series of incidents of fighting during late 2011 and early 2012 in the Syrian Governorate of Hama, as part of the Early insurgency phase of the Syrian Civil War.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from May to August 2012. The majority of death tolls reported for each day comes from the Local Coordination Committees, an opposition activist group based in Syria, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, another opposition group based in London.

Human rights violations during the Syrian civil war

Human rights violations during the Syrian civil war have been numerous and serious, with United Nations reports stating that the war has been "characterized by a complete lack of adherence to the norms of international law" by the warring parties who have "caused civilians immeasurable suffering". For a relatively small number of these war crimes, prosecution of Syrian civil war criminals has resulted.

The Battle of Tremseh was a military confrontation between the Syrian Army and the Free Syrian Army in Tremseh, Syria, in the late hours of 12 July 2012 during the Syrian Civil War leading to the reported death of dozens of rebels, and an unknown number of civilians. On 14 July 2012, the UN observer mission issued a statement, based on the investigation by its team that went to the town, that the Syrian military mainly targeted the homes of rebels and activists, in what the BBC said was a contradiction of the initial opposition claims of a civilian massacre. They said that the number of casualties was unclear and added that they intend to return to the town to continue their investigation.

Rif Dimashq offensive (August–October 2012)

The Rif Dimashq offensive was a Syrian Army offensive in the Rif Dimashq Governorate during August–October 2012, as part of the Syrian Civil War.

The 2012–2014 Quneitra Governorate clashes began in early November 2012, when the Syrian Army began engaging with rebels in several towns and villages of the Quneitra Governorate. The clashes quickly intensified and spilled into the UN-supervised neutral demilitarized zone between Syrian controlled territory and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Idlib Governorate clashes (June 2012–April 2013)

The June 2012–April 2013 Idlib Governorate clashes was a series of clashes within the scope of the Syrian civil war, that took place in Syria's Idlib Governorate. The events followed the April 2012 Idlib Governorate Operation by the Syrian government and consequent cease-fire attempt, which had lasted from 14 April to 2 June 2012.

The Bayda and Baniyas massacres were two widely reported massacres that occurred in May 2013 in the village of Bayda and the city of Baniyas, in Tartus Governorate, Syria, where Syrian Army troops, supported by paramilitaries, killed civilians in the predominantly Sunni locales. The killings were supposedly in retaliation for an earlier rebel attack near the town that left at least half a dozen soldiers dead.

The second of two battles in al-Qusayr started on 19 May 2013, as part of the larger al-Qusayr offensive, launched in early April 2013 by the Syrian Army and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, during the Syrian civil war, with the aim of capturing the villages around the rebel-held town of al-Qusayr and ultimately launching an attack on the town itself. The region was strategically important as a supply route for rebels fighting Syrian government forces in Homs and also for the Syrian government, as it lies between the capital, Damascus, and the Syrian coast, a stronghold for Assad supporters.

2013 Latakia offensive

The 2013 Latakia offensive, was a campaign during the Syrian Civil War launched by rebel groups led by Salafi jihadists in the Latakia Governorate. The stated aim of the offensive was to conquer al-Haffah city, but government supporters assumed conquering Mount Nabi Younes was more likely the real aim. A calculated side effect may have been to spark more sectarian violence in Syria by carrying out a sectarian attack on an Alawite-majority area. The offensive began in early August 2013. During the campaign, rebel forces captured a dozen villages. However, in mid-August, the military counter-attacked and recaptured all of the territory previously lost to the rebels.

Rif Dimashq offensive (September–November 2013) Military offensive

The Rif Dimashq offensive was a Syrian government forces and allies offensive in the Rif Dimashq Governorate, that was launched in mid-September 2013, as part of the Syrian Civil War.

Rif Dimashq offensive (March–August 2013) Military operation

The Rif Dimashq offensive was a Syrian government forces and allies offensive in the Rif Dimashq Governorate that was launched in late March 2013, as part of the Syrian Civil War.

The Deir ez-Zor offensive was executed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS, against all other opposition forces in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate as part of the Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War.

Human rights in Islamic State-controlled territory

The state of human rights in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS) is considered to be one of the worst in modern history and has been severely criticised by many political and religious organisations, and individuals. Islamic State policies included severe acts of genocide, torture and slavery. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) has stated that the Islamic State "seeks to subjugate civilians under its control and dominate every aspect of their lives through terror, indoctrination, and the provision of services to those who obey". ISIS actions of extreme criminality, terror, recruitment and other activities has been documented in the Middle East and several other regions around the world.

Siege of Nubl and al-Zahraa Siege of the Syrian civil war

The siege of Nubl and al-Zahraa during the Syrian civil war was laid by rebels to capture two Syrian government-held towns north of Aleppo, after they had seized most of the northern countryside in July 2012. The siege was lifted on 3 February 2016, as a result of a Syrian government offensive.

The persecution of Shia Muslims by the Islamic State refers to the persecution of Shia Muslims by the Islamic extremist group Islamic State (IS), which took place in Iraq,Syria, and other areas across the world.

Hatla is a district of city Deir ez-Zor located along the Euphrates River, southeast of Deir ez-Zor.

References

  1. 1 2 Dozens of Shiites Reported Killed in Raid by Syria Army
  2. Agence France-Presse (12 June 2013). "60 Shiite villagers killed as France warns of 'turning point' in Syria". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 Syrian rebels attack village in country's east, killing dozens of local Shiites, activists say
  4. "Assad regime accused of string of Syria massacres in UN report". Telegraph.co.uk. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  5. "Syria: 60 Shia Muslims massacred in rebel 'cleansing' of Hatla" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  6. "Syria rebels 'kill Shia residents of eastern village'". BBC News. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  7. 1 2 Syrian Extremist Rebels Raid Shiite Village Archived 13 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "UN says 93,000 killed in Syria amid reports of new massacre". Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  9. "Reports of 'massacre' in eastern Syria". Al Jazeera. 12 June 2013.