Maan Massacre


 * Note: this page deals with the December, 2012 massacre in Maan, Hama Province. For the more famous 2014 massacre there, see Maan Massacre, 2014

The Maan Massacre reportedly occurred on December 25, 2012 (disputed), in the Alawite-majority village of Maan. Opposition sources claim 23 civilians of a few families, including children and women - all from the town's Sunni minority - were killed by pro-government, Alawite, "Shabiha." It's said the victims were beheaded and burned. Ma'an was reportedly under the occupation of Sunni Jihadist rebels (Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra) from December 24th to the 26th. Rebels offer no explanation for the gaps that leaves in a record they seem to think no one understands (see below, ).

The claim that the victims were Sunnis allows the rebel brigades to avoid the bad impression created after the last alleged Shabiha massacre following a rebel conquest of an Alawite town, at Aqrab 2-3 weeks earlier. There, the 150 or so alleged victims were acknowledged as Alawites, and the rebel cover story quickly fell apart. Here, hardly anyone outside Syria really even noticed. The Sunni-victims claim is of course highly questionable, but it also might be true and yet still leave the rebels to blame (see here).

The Opposition Record
The beauty of this case for those questioning opposition claims like A Closer Look On Syria (ACLOS) does, is how the picture emerges from three opposition sources alone, with no input from SANA, RT, or anyone of the sort. Only the most common sense reading between the lines is required from there.

1: First, the generally reliable, well-informed, and pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on December 24 about the Islamist takeover of Maan, which the brigades had announced plans for three days earlier. There was concern over the Alawite citizens, but no news until word that the army was again in control on the 26th. This narrative, actually, is worked into the :Location, Context, Conquest" section below, hasn't been contradicted by anything, and sets that timeline aspect. Three days rebels had access, with fighting for it happening on two of those days. There seems to be no public SOHR updates after that to say what happened inside Maan in those days or after.

2: A week later, on January 1, German paper Der Spiegel ran an article (in German only, Google translated with attempted grammar fixes) with a rebel account of a recent massacre, in Maan:
 * Opponents of the regime reported on Tuesday that members of the Shabiha militia in the village of Maan, in Hama province, have beheaded 23 people. The fighters are on the side of President Bashar al-Assad.
 * According to the reports, those killed included the few Sunni families who lived in the village. Also seven children were reportedly killed. The corpses were set on fire, so that some of them could not be identified. It's difficult to independently verify opposition reports, because the Syrian government has imposed a media blockade.
 * The massacre is said to have begun after rebels attacked on Monday government roadblocks and troops in the region. These then called the militia fighters.

So the alleged massacre came after rebel attacks on checkpoints, which could explain why the Shabiha would be called in to massacre Sunni families in retaliation. The activist specifies the incident that sparked it was on "Monday," the most recent one of which was December 31, the day before the report. By this story, the massacre sounds like a different event after a separate attack, unrelated to the unmentioned rebel takeover a week earlier.

Other sources, like Shaam News Network, support this date, but vaguely. In a report of January 1, the "General Authority of the Syrian Revolution | Revolutionary Command Council in Hama" reported 29 new martyrs - our 23 massacre victims are there, no death dates specified. Recent is suggested but not strongly - the other additions are rebel fighters and others killed December 30, December 20, 19, and 15. The massacre date is open, and its being left vague underlines this.

3: The time question is however challenged by a third opposition activist source with a more logical date that's specified. The Center for Documentation of Violations in Syria (VDC) database generates this list of 25 "field execution" martyrs from Hama, Dec. 25. Of those, many unidentified, 6 are apparently unrelated and 19 are from Ma'an ( 13 labeled, 6 inferred - for details see below, needs updated - the first scan saw only 18 entries). They include the note "Twenty Three field execution in Ma'an by the regime army forces and their bodies were burned. they were documented in 01-01-2013." They support the number 23, implying a further 4 victims not verified and listed here. The VDC says it only got this information on January 1, the same as Der Spiegel's report. No one was told until then. But they VDC is clear the info was old - as the very list we're looking at says, these people all have Date of death 2012-12-25. The dastardly Shabiha killed the Alawites on Christmas Day - right in the middle of that worrisome rebel occupation. This is clearly a contested point, but as noted, it's not contested well, and it's not likely the VDC is seeking to implicate the rebels here, or anywhere. More than likely, that's the actual date they verified from their mysterious sources.

The collective picture is quite troubling. There's no good reason why Shabiha would strike right then, and succeed so well with the rebels for once there to protect the Sunnis. As with the Houla Massacre, it seems the regime Alawite Sunni-killers decide to act at just the same time rebels are best positioned to just do it for them, if they had any other half-decent reason to kill those people. That it seemingly took the opposition a week to document and report the incident, perhaps altering the date along the way, only adds to the suspicious nature of this incident. And again, this is all from opposition sources only trying to help blame the Syrian government. It seems they just tripped over each other in the process.

Location, Context, Conquest
Maan (Arabic: معان) is located here on Google maps, and on Wikimapia, 22 km north of Hama. It seems to be a very small town of only a few thousand people, set amid expansive fields. It's about three miles east of Morek (which straddles the main north-south highway connecting Damascus and Aleppo). Maan is also about 12 miles northeast of Halfaya, conquered by rebels around Dec. 20th, and the reginal power station there knocked out of commission on the 26th.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on the 21st: "Opposition sources said rebels had won some territory in the strategic southern town of Morek and were surrounding the Alawite town of al-Tleisia. They were also planning to take the town of Maan, arguing that the army was present there and in al-Tleisia and was hindering their advance on nearby Morek

(Wikipaia, Tulaysiyah) Three days later, it seems, they moved on Ma'an; the SOHR would report that "Jihadists" took "large parts" of the small town in fighting that killed 20 soldiers (or "Shabiha") and 11 rebel fighters. They apparently held the town for two days; Maan was reportedly re-taken by government forces on the 26th, as part of their announced and successful offensive in the region. ABC, Australia, Dec. 27: Elsewhere, the army took control of three Alawite villages in the central province of Hama, among them Maan, large swathes of which were overrun by jihadists two days earlier, the watchdog said.

It was six days later the massacre was reported. It's not certain at the moment whether there was or was not a second rebel assault in those days. The Syrian Center for Documentation and its expansive (if disinfo-clogged) martyrs database gives some valuable clues: apparently the massacre came during the brief rebel conquest, on Christmas day, December 25. There are two fatalities listed fro Ma'an on Dec. 24: Unidentified 1 (w/photo): died of shooting, "His body was found murdered and thrown in the village." Civilian clothing, but fighting age and moderately bearded. All the same for Unidentified 2 No rebel fighters are listed. Then, a number of civilians from a few families are listed as field executed on December 25 (see below).

The Jihadists
As Naharnet Newsdesk passed on:
 * Alongside other radical Islamist groups, al-Nusra Front seized parts of the village of Maan, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, adding at least 11 rebel fighters and 20 regime troops were killed.

Al-Nusrah front, aka Jabhat Al-Nusra, active in Syria for over a year, had just been listed by the United States as a terrorist group, a direct offshoot of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Their black flag was seen over the alleged bakery in nearby Halfaya that was shelled in the alleged Halfaya Bakery Bombing on Dec. 23. That they would also be operating around Maan in those days is not surprising.

Another among the "other radical Islamist groups" involved is suggested by a Youtube video posted December 25 that might be from the fight for Maan. It shows shooting across a field from behind stone walls, and many, many cries of Allahu Akbar. Title/description Google-trans: "Free Sham address Hbihh (Shabiha) village gloss upper Hama, Part of a battle Ahrar Brigades Sham and Martyrs Brigades and the Al-Hamza against Hbihh (Shabiha) village upper meanings in the northern Hama 24 \ 12 \ 2012 have been killed some Shabiha led to Ostchhad some Mujahideen may God have mercy on them." The town is apparently specified as Ma'an, which translates as either glitter or gloss.

This might refer to Ahrar Al-Sham, the "Free Men of Greater Syria." According to the Wikipedia page, they are a network of Salafist fighters centered mostly in Idilb, but also Aleppo and Hama provinces. Interestingly, just two days before the Maan attack, on December 22, Ahrar joined with 11 other groups (but not apparently Al-Nusrah, officially) in the new "Syrian Islamic Front," with Ahrar Al-Sham member Abu 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Suri appointed spokesman.

Reports on the Massacre

 * The Local Coordination Committees mention the event. Syria Today 1-1-2013 (Jan. 2)
 * By the end of Tuesday, the LCC was able to document 136 martyrs, including 6 women and 16 children. 42 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs; 44 in Hama, including 23 martyrs from the village of Maan and 16 from Hasraya; 15 martyrs were reported in Deir Ezzor, including 9 unidentified martyrs in the village of Hatla; 12 martyrs in Homs, including an entire family from Deir Baalba; 8 in Daraa; 9 in Aleppo; 4 in Idlib; 1 in Lattakia; and 1 in Raqqa.

No details on that follow.

"Firas"
SANA and loyalist sources apparently said little to nothing about the 2012 Maan massacre at the time or afterwards. But after the much higher-profile 2014 massacre, an account was published shedding light on both incidents. The site SyriaNews.cc, in an apparent original interview published Feb. 14, 2014, passed on the story of "Iyad," presumably a pseudonym. He was injured in the recent rebel takeover but made it out - in a wheelchair now. It's not possible to verify his account at the moment, but it has compelling and maybe useful details. Recalling the earlier incident that he says claimed at least four family members:
 * “The first time the Takfiris attacked was on 24/12/2012. There was a wedding and they took the chance to enter some vacant homes. They attacked three days later killing tens of civilians amid media silence.”
 * Firas had lost his mother, four of his siblings and his cousin. They were slaughtered. He couldn’t receive the bodies for burial until a week later, by then the bodies were starting to decompose.
 * Implied kiiling date: Dec. 27. This conflicts with both Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. The bodies decaying already a week later - about the 2nd - argues against it being any later than he says, anyway. Dec. 25-27 seems the better illustrated range.
 * Firas describes the first massacre in anger, as if it happened right in front of him. “My mother and sisters had hidden in the basement of our home, the terrorists entered. They cut the hands of my cousin and slaughtered my sisters and mother.”
 * Firas’ anger turns to sadness, and he bows his head trying to hide his tears trying to regain his composure. “A week later we received the bodies, and we buried them in the town of Salhab. My mother was a simple old woman, her deepest joy was to bake for the whole village at dawn.”

Arabic Sources
There don't seem to be any clearly-labeled Arabic-language videos of the actual events in Maan (a disturbing parallel with Aqrab). There are however a fewArabic news reports where activists explain the story to talking heads. We can't get much use from these, but for those who can and for general reference:
 * Al Jazeera Arabic: Execution of 23 civilians slaughtered with knives and burned to death at the hands of Assad forces
 * Al Haffa News: Arabic: Musab al-Hammadi talking about meanings in Hama massacre 01/01/2013
 * Al Arabiya
 * Al Arabiya
 * Al Arabiya

The opposition Shaam News Network issued a report with some details and many namesof those "slaughtered and then spent burning at the hands of forces loyal to the regime in the village" (a valuable source - will be worked in above). A Google translated edit of their massacre explanation:
 * The village of Ma'an ... After the battles fought by the Free Army ... Provided buses Shabiha from everywhere ... entered the village of Ma'an and committed horrible massacres against our brothers the Sunnis, who make up a small percentage of the village ... slaughtered ... and then burned all the bodies ... twenty-three martyrs and the number is rising .. In addition to a number of martyrs under the rubble of demolished houses.

Syria Politic has an interesting take on alleged rebel killings in the initial attack of Dec. 24, a week before the reports under study. "Killing and wounding dozens in the "glitter" Hama countryside after Islamists attack "in revenge for the Halfaya"" (corrected Google translate)
 * ''Syria Politic has learned that dozens of sons of the village of Maan, inhabited by members of the Muslim minority Alawite, had been killed and wounded after an attack by Islamist fighters, on their homes on the outskirts of the village. The village meanings belonging to the town of Soran Hama.
 * Opposition websites described the attack on the Maan as "an attack on a Nusayri (Alawite, derogatory) village," (they?) said in news headlines.
 * However, the civilian sources in those areas I talked (with?) spoke about killing dozens of civilians from the village. Some of them were killed (in their homes?), such as "Jacob safety"' ("يعقوب سلامة"), and said that the weapons found in the village were those held by individual villagers to defend from attacks, as happened on Monday morning.
 * However, the civilian sources in those areas I talked (with?) spoke about killing dozens of civilians from the village. Some of them were killed (in their homes?), such as "Jacob safety"' ("يعقوب سلامة"), and said that the weapons found in the village were those held by individual villagers to defend from attacks, as happened on Monday morning.
 * However, the civilian sources in those areas I talked (with?) spoke about killing dozens of civilians from the village. Some of them were killed (in their homes?), such as "Jacob safety"' ("يعقوب سلامة"), and said that the weapons found in the village were those held by individual villagers to defend from attacks, as happened on Monday morning.

Date Controversy
Dec. 25, 27, or 31? (forthcoming)

Alleged Victims
As noted above, Der Spiegel reported the claim that the victims were from Sunni families in Maan. Shaam News Network provided a partial list of names and a tally of martyrs seen or known about, with 23 entries total. Martyrs from "Gloss" (معان - Maan) / "slaughtered and then spent burning at the hands of forces loyal to the regime in the village" Arabic - (Google Translate)
 * خالد الخلف - (Khaled Back)
 * خلف خالد الخلف - (Behind Khaled Back)
 * معند الطوقاني - (Intractable Ataiwghani)
 * (name unknown -"son of a martyr intractable Ataiwghani")
 * فوزي العرير - (Fawzi Aeryr)
 * علي الراضي - (Ali Radi)
 * (name unknown-son of Ali Radi)
 * الشهيدة السيدة تركية أحمدالمحمد - (Turkish martyr Ms. Ahmdalmamed)
 * (name unknown, son of Ms. Ahmdalmamed)
 * عبدالله خضير المحمد - (Abdullah Khudair Mohammad)
 * أحمد خضير المحمد - (Ahmed Khudair Mohammad)
 * (name unknown)
 * (name unknown)
 * (name unknown)
 * (name unknown)
 * (name unknown)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)
 * (name unknown, child martyr)

Note the sloppy recording and lack of identity knowledge. Heads of households known, kids... just dead. Syrian Center for Documentation of Violations (martyrs list: all Hama Dec. 25- it won't allow a Ma'an only search for some reason). The following appear for Ma'an with the notes "Twenty Three field execution in Ma'an by the regime army forces and their bodies were burned. they were documented in 01-01-2013" - admitted it took a week to figure out how to document them: (above, 5 entries "name unknown". Here, at least the family name is given)
 * 1) Khalid al-Khalaf Fawze al-Arer adult male
 * 2) Muhanad al-Twkane adult male
 * 3) Khalid Satof Muhanad al-Twkane adult male
 * 4) Ali al-Rade adult male
 * 5) Turkieh Ahmad al-Mohammad adult female
 * 6) Abdullah Khoder al-Mohammad adult male
 * 7) Awad Family 1 (entry 51106) adult male
 * 8) Awad Family 1 (entry 51107) adult male
 * 9) Awad Family 2 adult male
 * 10) Awad Family 3 adult male
 * 11) Awad Family 4 adult male
 * 12) Awad Family 5 adult male

Six anonymous male children field executed somewhere in Hama governorate, Dec. 25, apparently the unidentified kids listed as 7 above. Added - all are male children: مجهول الهوية 1 - مجهول الهوية 2 - مجهول الهوية 3 - مجهول الهوية 4 - مجهول الهوية 5 - مجهول الهوية 6 And the seventh, also a boy, is helpfully given as Ma'an. (entries out-of-order and discontinuous here)

Total SCDV listings = 18 (one listed twice) Breakdown: 10 adult male, one adult female, seven male children ... There are missing females, one can presume.

Open Questions
Some of these open questions may be closed, or narrowed, in time.

So far, we have the activists' word as evidence for the following:
 * that there was a massacre in this Alawi town
 * that the names SNN provided are accurate and that the missing names are not that way to hide some crucial detail
 * that the victims were the Alawi town's Sunnis and not some of its Alawites
 * that Alawite Shabiha, and not the anti-Alawi Jihadists, did the killing

So far, we seem to have very little word from activists at all, outside Arabic sources, about what happened. We hope to learn more about their evidence.

The main open question should be obvious, but there are others. It's not even certain the bodies exist. In the possible precedent at Aqrab, the majority of a believed 200 Alawite captives were reported dead, but then it seemed they were still alive, or at least might be. This could be a pattern recurring here; the threat over the hostages is announced as realized, it becomes clear that's not true yet, is never retracted publicly, stays held like a dagger waiting to become true until negotiations go their way.

If what this horrible report to DerSpiegel describes really exists, it would be extremely difficult to get verification or confirmation as to the victims' identities. With heads gone and bodies burnt, their faces, teeth, and perhaps fingerprints could not be compared to, say, some missing Alawite families. Conversely, a conclusive match with any missing Sunnis is unlikely to happen. The chances of anyone running DNA tests also seem slim.