Talk:Hatlah massacre

The Hatlah Massacre occurred on June 12, 2013, when rebel forces attacked the Shi'ite areas of a mixed (but Sunni-majority) village just across the river from Deir Ezzour, in Syria's desert northeast. A reported sixty (estimated) Shia were killed, although it was disputed how many were fighters who died repelling the attack and how many, if any, were massacred civilians. The best picture seems to be about 45 defenders and 15 civilians. The assault was accompanied by videos of rebels clearly showing the utmost sectarian animosity behind the assault, and it was followed by further violence, including the destruction of Shia shrines. The town was apparently emptied of its Shia populace by this successful cleansing operation. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:50, 22 June 2013 (UTC) and --Caustic Logic (talk) 04:50, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

Videos
Brown Moses has compiled a YouTube playlist with 15 videos.
 * Attack on Hatla June 12th 2013

One of the videos has been deleted by YouTube: This video has been removed as a violation of YouTube's policy on shocking and disgusting content. I tried to find a copy. The best I could ind on-line is this Facebook post by the Eastern Gharriyya Coordination Committee, with the title and description in Arabic. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 02:11, 13 June 2013 (UTC)


 * بعد تطهير مدينة حطلة من الرجس الشيعي وجه مقاتل من ريف دير الزور نداااء الى دولة الكويت : 11/6/2013
 * ‏مقاتل من قبيلة العكيدات وجه نداء الى دولة الكويت بعد ماتم التحقيق مع احد الاذناب للشيعة وكشف عن التمويل من دولة الكويت من شيعة الكويت‏


 * After clearing city Htalh of abomination Shiite fighters face of Deir ez-Zor countryside Ndaaae to Kuwait 11/06/2013
 * Fighter from the tribe Aekadat face appeal to the State of Kuwait after what has been an investigation with one الاذناب of the Shiites and detect the financing of the State of Kuwait Kuwait Shiites


 * Rebels posting videos of their own crimes so disgusting Youtube pulled it? I remember the manled, naked 12-year-old girl with a dozen or more stab and slice wounds still bleeding, an arm and a leg nearly severed by possible shelling (probably not), her screaming face half-gone on a half-crushed head. Government crime it said, not sick heads-on-spikes terror video. Must document. (Homs, early February 2012, go figure) Anyway, it being pulled makes me want to see it, but I couldn't find anything either (I tried Live Leak a bit). --Caustic Logic (talk) 22:04, 13 June 2013 (UTC)

Location?
Hatlah in Arabic: حطلة (per ABNA Arabic anyway) --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:01, 13 June 2013 (UTC) Hatla is listed on Wikimapia here.

The description states:
 * small shia - sunni mixed village
 * Location of a battle / possible massacre on 12.6.2013
 * www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/12/us-syria-crisis-kill...

-- Petri Krohn (talk) 12:24, 12 June 2013 (UTC)

Easy. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:40, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

Prior Developments/Reasons
Al-Manar: "Even though, the Hatla residents tried to resist the attack after fortifying themselves in one of the village neighborhoods, and clashed with the terrorist takfirist militiamen more than once." Al-Manar: "The gunmen announced that they carried out the attack under the pretext of the fighters’ arrival of the Syrian Arab Army at the village. However, the al-Nusra Front stated that the attack was a revenge for the “slaughtered al-Qusayr,” as they expressed." It should be noted that, while there was prolific fear of anti-Sunni massacres in the decisive Qusair campaign by the "Alawite regime" and its Hezbollah allies, these were never even reported, let alone actually occurring. But they still can justify revenge massacre that are deadly real, in some twisted minds. --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:26, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

Good news: this isn't how the rebels really are - they were forced into this. Bloomberg News, May 21:
 * Communities inhabited by Shiite Muslims and President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite minority will be “wiped off the map” if the strategic city of Al-Qusair in central Syria falls to government troops, rebel forces said.
 * ''“We don’t want this to happen, but it will be a reality imposed on everyone,” Colonel Abdel-Hamid Zakaria, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army in Turkey, told Al-Arabiya television yesterday. “It’s going to be an open, sectarian, bloody war to the end.”

Assad's fault. --Caustic Logic (talk) 21:44, 12 June 2013 (UTC)

Other reasons have been given: The New York Times heard "a rebel spokesman, Omar Abu Layla, said the fighters had captured militiamen who told them they were planning to attack rebel leaders." More generally, Associated Press' Bassem Mroue heard from activist "Thaer al-Deiry" who "added that the village has been under opposition control for more than a year but some of its Shiite residents recently started collecting arms apparently to fight along government troops." But the NYT also heard "Ragheb Bashir, an antigovernment activist from Deir al-Zour" who "condemned the attack on the Shiites, explaining “that he had visited Hatlah many times since the uprising began and that the small Shiite population had grown increasingly anxious. “They became armed because they were afraid,” he said. “My advice was, ‘do not attack us, and we won’t either.’”

They reportedly countered that advice: SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP "Armed Shiite villagers attacked a nearby rebel post yesterday and killed two. Today (Tuesday) rebels attacked the village and took control of it..." Activist "Thaer al-Deiry" told AP the attack was in retaliation for "an attack Monday by Shiites from Hatla that killed four rebels." However, as the Angry Arab news service noted: "the notion that a small group of Shi`ites living among Sunnis decide out of the blue to start attacking the sectarian rebels is just not believable. ... to attack the Sunni rebels when the latter groups are most angry: like about the retreat of fighters in Qusayr or the fall of Qusayr recently."

The Opposition Local Coordinating Committees (LCC), Informed by front-line fighters, should have the most direct tally of dead human being, counted by the killers themselves. In Deir Ezzor, the FSA has liberated Hatle village from regime forces, and bombed one of thugs’ centers in Rashdieh neighborhood which led to killing of a big number of regime forces and injuring dozens." Video: video: FSA Liberate Hatla, Deir Ezzor. Combined daily martyr death toll for Deir Ezzor: 4. (19 were killed the day before, in their tally, because "the FSA has liberated the Industrial Institution and the Industrial High-school, and also destroyed several regime forces’ armored vehicles in cities and towns across Syria.")

The Kuwait Connection
SANA cited the Foreign Ministry, in a letter sent to the UN Secretary General and Security Council, speaking of Hatlah as a "Jabhat al-Nusra massacre, instigated by one of the sheikhs of salafis in Kuwait called Shafi al-Ajami who is involved in funding and sending thousands of jihadists into Syria." AP, El Deeb:
 * In a video of a Sunni Kuwaiti cleric, Shafi al-Ajmi, hails the fall of Hatla and promises that other Shiite villages in the northern province of Aleppo will follow. "Today we took Hatla village and we slaughtered its religious leader," he tells a cheering crowd that raised banners calling for the expulsion of the Lebanese ambassador. He was apparently speaking in Kuwait. "Like you slaughtered our women and children in Qusair, we slaughtered one of your symbols ... and his son."

Did I see on video rebels complaining about discovered evidence proving Kuwaiti support for local Shi'ites, and/or demanding Kuwait now move against its own Shi'ites, or else be guilty of .... whatever got them so pissed to do this massacre? Maybe I was confused, but there's some other Kuwait thing at the rebel video end, I think, worth noting here in time. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:50, 22 June 2013 (UTC) AP, El Deeb:
 * One fighter then addresses the camera, accusing Shiites in the Gulf state of Kuwait of financing the Shiite fighters from the village. "People of Kuwait, Sunni people of Kuwait, you will be held responsible if you don't kill the Shiites in your country," the fighter, with a black al-Qaida type headband, said, explaining that signs of Shiite Kuwaiti funds were found in the village. "Help your religion, not necessarily the Syrian people."

Fighters vs. Civilian Deaths
This appears to be an area of contention. Many sources say the dead were mostly or perhaps all fighting men, while Syrian government-supporting sources tend to portray it as more a massacre of "mostly women and children." State broadcaster SANA reported:
 * Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said that Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist groups perpetrated on June 12, 2013 a massacre in Hatla village in Deir Ezzor against scores of citizens, most of them women and children because they refused to support their criminal acts.

AP reported"In Damascus, a government official said the rebels "carried out a massacre against villagers in which older people and children were killed." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported:
 * Rebels also killed several inhabitants (civilians and combatants) of the Hatla village. It is worth noting that such atrocities were carried out on a sectarian basis. This came after rebel fighters took hold of the village yesterday after clashes and bombardment which led to the death of 60 civilians and fighters from Hatla.

Citing SOHR head Rami Abdelrahman, AFP said "At least 10 rebels were also killed in the fighting on Tuesday, and Shiite residents of Hatlah were fleeing following the violence, Abdul Rahman said." As for the proportion, he said the killed were "60 Shiite residents, most of them fighters." Citing AFP, Iranian ABNA came out somehow reporting SOHR "60 Shiite residents, most of them villagers." Clearly AFP wins that dispute.

Al-Manar took the line of emphasizing civilian deaths, but admitted that "opposition websites admitted that around 33 terrorists were killed and dozens wounded during clashes, among them was chief of what they called “Ammar al-Hammad" battalion." And therefore, a good number of killed Shi'ites would be the people who carried out that deadly defense. In fact, they cite only 14 specific civilian victims (see below).

These classes of report don't necessarily contradict each other. They could between them describe the same basic breakdown of about 45 fighters killed in the defense and only about 15 civilians. Sources report that there was a mass flight of civilians during the attack, as the defenders put up stiff resistance. It's likely more civilians would have died if it hadn't been for that fight stalling the rebel advance. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:50, 22 June 2013 (UTC) and --Caustic Logic (talk) 04:50, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

And besides those who died is the possibility of others taken captive to abuse, trade with, or execute later on. Based on unclear information, Colmáin reported "'According to reports, hundreds of the remaining inhabitants of the town were abducted by the terrorists, who call themselves the Al Mut’aa Brigade. The location of the abductees is currently unknown.''

Civilian Victims
Al-Manar reported "Part of Hatla martyrs," 14 in number, as follows:
 * Sayyed Ibrahim Musa Mullah Eid
 * Taha Hussein Mullah Eid
 * Mohammad Musa Mullah Eid
 * Murtaza Ibrahim Mullah Eid
 * Mustafa Ibrahim Mullah Eid
 * Wedad al-Badrani, Sayyed Eid’s wife
 * Ali Mandil Saleh
 * Basil Mandil Saleh
 * Yasser Mandil Saleh
 * Ma’soom al-Raja, his wife (Batoul) and daughter (2 years)
 * Hajj Omar al-Hamadi (85 years)
 * Hajj Issa Khalaf Al-Hilal (84 years)

The horrible image with Al-Manar's report is “Hussein.jpg” - a young boy with a roughly-hacked throat-chin area, not a recycled image to my knowledge, but not unlike the injuries children often receive from “shelling” in rebel videos. "Hussein" likely refers to Taha Hussein: “The terrorist groups have also kidnapped Sayyed Ibrahim Musa Mullah Eid, a well-known cleric in the town, with his nephew, Taha Hussein Mullah Eid. Few hours later, both victims have been killed in brutal manner.” Just where the image comes from is unclear at the moment. It seems unlikely to be the pulled video, which was apparently rebel-released. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:50, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

As noted above, Kuwaiti extremist cleric and rebellion financier Shafi al-Ajmi crowed on video how "we took Hatla village" and admitted with pride how "we slaughtered its religious leader ... and his son." Sarah El Deeb's AP report added that "a pro-Hezbollah Facebook page said the Shiite cleric was missing." --Caustic Logic (talk) 07:03, 23 June 2013 (UTC) Gearóid Ó Colmáin added that "Ibrahim Said, a local cleric, his wife and two girls of 4 and 2 were taken out and butchered to death." This is likely a confused relation of the same Sayyed Ibrahim Musa Mullah Eid, whose wife was killed, but the daughters are less clear; the other Eid names all seem to be male.

The app. 15-45 civilians-fighters split, mentioned above, is not gospel, but unusually consistent with reports from both sides. It would put SANA's claim that "most of" the sixty dead were "women and children" out the window. Manar lists, it seems, two women and at least two children (with no promise it's a complete list). Even among the civilian dead, it seems that most are men, two of them elderly. But mostly they were part of a specific, prominent, Shia family, and were killed with barbarity and cruelty, and based on their religion, primarily if not exclusively.--Caustic Logic (talk) 04:50, 23 June 2013 (UTC) and --Caustic Logic (talk) 07:03, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

World Reaction
SANA:
 * ..."Putting those facts in front of the UN Security council, Syria calls on it to assume its responsibilities, in light of its relevant resolutions of counter-terrorism, to condemn the massacre in Hatla village and call on the countries involved in supporting terrorism in Syria to stop such practices which pose a threat to the security and stability in Syria and the region," the Foreign Ministry concluded.

There seems to have been no real condemnation, even from Syria's allies, that I can see with a quick search of English-language sources. --Caustic Logic (talk) 07:11, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

Gearóid Ó Colmáin offered this:
 * Le Monde, who published two sensational reports recently which purported to ‘prove’ that the Syrian ‘regime’ had used chemical weapons ‘on its own people’-without presenting a shred of credible evidence to back up their claims-  attempted to play down the crime against humanity committed by the ‘rebels’ they support. The French daily reported that 60 shiite residents of the village of Hatlah were killed on Tuesday. There was no mention of the word ‘massacre’, no mention of the word ‘crime’, no condemnation of the barbaric acts. Instead, the report spoke of government ‘militias’ controlling local areas.


 * There was no condemnation of the massacre of Hatlah from the Quai D’Orsay either.  Thousands of massacres have been committed by the western-backed terrorists since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria in 2011, most if not all have been ignored by the French government.

Later Events
FSA statement: all is cool. SOHR: A statement by the military council of Deir Ezzour regarding Hatla village:
 * The military council has released a statement giving the responsibility of the security and situation in Hatla village to the Uthman bin Affan battalions and the al-Qasas brigade, stating that this measure is to stop sectarian tensions after the initial events, stating that all illegal actors will be brought to the security office.

Colmáin: "In another video posted on the Syria News website, a small crowd of protestors in the town of Al Mayadeen celebrate the mass murder of the Shiite citizens of Hatlah."

Shrine Destruction
SOHR: Islamic State of Iraq destroy Shi'i place of worship in Hatla village
 * Deir Ezzour province: rebels from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham have exploded a Muslim Shi'i place of worship (Husseiniya) in the village of Hatla. Reports indicate that the destruction of the Husseiniya took place 2 days ago, after rebel fighters from various factions took control over the village, which had a minority Muslim shi'a minority inhabiting it.


 * Footage of the destruction of the Husseiniya:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axe3dhr588I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abdecDtT0Jc