Hatla massacre explained
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] Three Shia clerics were also among the dead.[7] Reports said that 30 civilians were killed.[1] Syrian opposition forces also burned civilian houses and a Shia mosque during the takeover.[8] [9] 10 rebel fighters were killed during the attack. 150 Shia residents fled to the nearby government-held village of Jafra.[3]
Notes and References
- http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/06/13/world/middleeast/syria.html?from=global.home Dozens of Shiites Reported Killed in Raid by Syria Army
- Web site: 60 Shiite villagers killed as France warns of 'turning point' in Syria. Agence France-Presse. 12 June 2013. Telegraph.co.uk. 25 October 2014.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20130612143620/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/activists-syrian-rebels-attack-village-in-countrys-east-killing-dozens-of-local-shiites/2013/06/12/a050c7e8-d32e-11e2-b3a2-3bf5eb37b9d0_story.html Syrian rebels attack village in country's east, killing dozens of local Shiites, activists say
- Web site: Assad regime accused of string of Syria massacres in UN report . 11 September 2013. Telegraph.co.uk. 25 October 2014.
- News: Syria: 60 Shia Muslims massacred in rebel 'cleansing' of Hatla. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220509/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-60-shia-muslims-massacred-in-rebel-cleansing-of-hatla-8656301.html . 9 May 2022 . subscription . live. The Independent. 25 October 2014.
- News: Syria rebels 'kill Shia residents of eastern village'. BBC News. 12 June 2013. 25 October 2014.
- Web site: UN says 93,000 killed in Syria amid reports of new massacre. 25 October 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141025194240/http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/un-says-93000-killed-syria-amid-reports-new-massacre. 25 October 2014. dead.
- News: Reports of 'massacre' in eastern Syria. Al Jazeera. 12 June 2013.
- https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=190884583 Syrian Extremist Rebels Raid Shiite Village
