Al-Houla Before and After the Massacre

One area of the Houla massacre of May 25, 2012 that's worthy of some attention is how the security situation changed from before the massacre to afterwards. The whole scene in the three villages of Al-Houla are of interest, but especially the south of Taldou, where the massacre of over 100 occurred.

The following page does not seek to be all-inclusive, but only to get enough points of data to form a general picture of what changed after May 25. Some of this will be best worked-out first on the discussion page.

Violence Prior to the Massacre
As established at the page Houla, May 25: Who Was in Control?, the day of the infamous Houla massacre was the same day as what seems to be the fiercest-yet rebel assault on security forces in the town of Taldou, Al-Houla, Homs province. But Taldou and the other two towns of Al-Houla (Kafr Laha and Tal-Dahab) were the scene of much disputed violence prior to that day, and building up to it.

Opposition Videos and Reports

 * April 22, 2011: date on a video of a protest apparently coming under fire in "Homs, Houla." The crowd with signs faces south, unmoving. Some in the rear are young men on motorcycles, but not visibly armed. When unseen gunfire opens, the crowd scatters, some lay low and play dead, one longer than the others (possibly dead). It’s in Taldou, Main Street, with the cameraman looking south and east on the roof dead-centered here on Google Maps, 94 meters north of military intel HQ. When the people scatter, it's mostly down the ring road to the west.

A graphic video posted Aug. 7, 2011 claims to show "Alhula massacre," but shows only one body recovered by rebels. English subtitles (not the actual dialog) blame Assad’s Shabiha, and taunt Turkey’s Erdogan for waiting on reforms. The body seems at least hours old, a bit stiff. Civilian, an older man or at least lean, with no beard. His face is punctured as if whacked with a garden rake, and apparently burnt as well, with a bloodied neck perhaps stretched out, and tattered clothes, suggesting all-around brutality, perhaps dragged behind a vehicle. The video was picked up in September by GHSR MENA Syria monitoring, as “victim awfully murdered by unknown criminal act.”

The first major media-promoted Houla massacre - with about 100 fewer victims than the main one - was reported by opposition activists to Reuters, who reported on the recent event September 19, 2011:
 * Syrian forces shot dead at least six villagers and two rebel soldiers on Monday, in a sweep of countryside north of the city of Homs, one of the most defiant regions in pro-democracy protests, activists and residents said.
 * [...]
 * The assault on Houla, a collection of villages north of Homs, 165 km (100 miles) north of Damascus, followed a large protest on Sunday demanding Assad's removal. About 12 government soldiers manning rural checkpoints had defected, activists said.
 * "Several of the defectors put up a fight but they were overwhelmed. The rest were civilians who were killed by the random gunfire from the tanks as they went through al-Houla," said a resident who gave his name as Abu Yazan.
 * He said 14 people, including school-age students, were arrested in Taldo, Kfar Laha, Takltheb Tibeh and Iqreb villages.

An activist video dated September 19 (but uploaded Sept. 18) might show the aftermath of this rampage, partly at least in Taldou, along main street. Some building are shot-up, a crest on the city arches is gone (never replaced), and several power poles have been shot down. Government trucks are there fixing some of them already. Nothing like tank shelling is evident.

September 2011-April 2012 forthcoming.

An opposition acitivist group (Doctor Coordinate of Damascus) provided Physicians for Human Rights with details on medical personnel killed in the first year of the Syrian conflict. These are compiled here, 55 names, three of them from Al-Houla. They were victims of "the violent crackdown in Syria," they heard, although they were "unable to independently verify these details." Exact words re-formatted and in chronological order:
 * Sameer Bakour, Pharmacist: Killed 22 Apr 2011 in Homs, Teldo. Shot.
 * Nadhem Ibrahim, Hospital Director: killed 13 Aug 2011 in Homs, Alhula. Car shelled.
 * Ma’ath Abdulkarim Al faris, Physician: killed 24 Nov, 2011 in Homs, Hula. Arrested and tortured to death.

A video from Al-Houla, showing several members of a family piled dead outside their home, has been cited around (including by the UN's investigators) as being from the famous massacre. The troubling fact is it shows one young boy laid out by himself, wearing a red-white-and-black wristband, Syria loyalist colors. However, this video was available by mid-April, 2012, and seems to show the aftermath of a rebel attack from that time. The wristband and its implications were noted in a critical analysis videos on Youtube no later than April 25 posting. The one they look at was posted April 6, a no-later than date, especially since this is a stabilized video (usually 2nd generation at least), from a poster - Meriem021 - who specializes in re-posting found material in massive droves. A more original version with a better date limit is not easy to find, but meriem021's was. The Arabictitle translates "Hula massacre after the bombing of a house officer dissident Mohammed Sawaf." Being an officer would explain the kid's attire, and could explain the family's targeting. Being called dissident ("defector") might help the criminals launder the fact.

The videography is more puzzling, if seen as a covered-up rebel crime; they could have concealed the wristband any number of way (rolling him on the other arm, hiding him entirely in the pile with the rest, removing the thing). But instead it's left prominently displayed. This makes sense either as an attempt to make this look like a rebel crime, or as a rather bold warning it was hoped loyalist Syrians would catch while the outside world missed it.

Syrian Center for Documentation entries
The Syrian Center for Documentation is a Syria-based project that reports some of both sides' information, keping an extensive record of events (by number, not detail), and maintains a fairly neutral tone, while clearly from its graphics and lack of the usual shrieking against Assad, is ultimately supportive of the Syrian government. Some of their entries from 2011-May 2012, a fairly complete list looking for the different spelling used, is given below.
 * Aug 5, 2011 Death date given for policeman Abrahem KamelHasan, killed in Taldo.
 * Aug. 7, 2011: Death date given for Muhammad mahmoud joumaa alhajaj, killed in homs-alhoula.
 * Nov. 1, 2011: " . Arrest of Ayman Youssef on the army checkpoint in the Hula. Activists say that he arrested because his name was included in one of the most wanted lists.''
 * Dec. 12, 2011: "the dead body of a thirty years old man arrive to the national hospital coming from Taldo where it was dumped in front of the revolution youth union (affiliated to Ba'ath party) headquarter."
 * Jan. 20, 2012: "Gunmen attacked security checkpoints in Taldo and Al-Houla located in Homs’ outskirt."
 * Jan 28: "Armed rebels attack an army checkpoint located in Taldo area in Homs which leads to the death of a number of the rebels"
 * February 1, 2012: "Shootings and bombings were heard in Al-Sabeel and Al-Hawla neighborhood last night."
 * Feb. 5, 2012: "An anti-government gathering takes place in Al-Hawla area of Homs and raises the mandate flag."
 * March 12, 2012: "Gunmen bomb a diesel pipeline located in Al-Hawla area between Hama and Homs"
 * March 14: "Clashes between the Syrian Army and armed militias take place in Tal Dahab village located in Al-Hawla village of Homs countryside and result in the death of gunmen, the injury of others and the capture of their weapons."
 * March 19: "Ahmad Mouafak Asber gets killed in Al-Howla area of Homs countryside and anti-government activists accuse the security force of killing him." March 19, 2012: "Ahmad Mouafak Al-Esper’s funeral takes place in Al-Hawla area and turns into an anti-government demonstration."
 * March 23: "An anti-government gathering occurs in Al-Hawla area of Homs countryside so what the opposition called “we are coming to Damascus” Friday."
 * March 26, 2012: "Armed rebels bomb a fuel pipeline located nearby Taldo in Al-Hawla area of Homs countryside."
 * April 5, 2012: "Armed rebels target the main electrical generator of Al-Hawla area located in Homs countryside which results in a power outage in the area." April 5: "A leader of an armed militia is killed during clashes with the Syrian Army in Al-Hawla area of Homs countryside.''
 * April 7: Armed militias attack a number of security checkpoints in Al-Hawla area of Homs countryside; no causalities are recorded.

De-Population After May 25
It appears that the plan of the massacre was, in part, to displace a large number of people. The AP reported May 26 that "(Houla activist) Abu Yazan said most residents were fleeing the area Saturday, fearing further killings." Further, Bassma Kodmani "of the exile opposition Syrian National Council" underlined the crimes of "expulsions and forced migration from entire neighborhoods." Opposition sources have always described the populace there, as everywhere, as inherently anti-government, witnessed by the regular Friday protests that eventually drew such extreme repression. Clearing them out would make it easier for the government to control the area.

How populated different areas of Al-Houla are now is an area needing further study.

Al-Houla Under Rebel Control
Already by May 25 rebels, even fighters, had a high amount of mobility, if not quite control, in Al-Houla in general. A rebel fighting brigade was formed in Taldou in the spring of 2012 to further their reach. (citations needed)

As mentioned above, the opposition argues that clearing out the rebellious populace would make it easier for the government to control the area. What appears to have happened instead is that rebels took general control of what became nearly a ghost town. As of mid September, the area of Houla and east of it to Ar Rastan and Talbisah is the opposition stronghold of Homs province and remains under their control. (citation needed)

Videos show the southern outskirts of Taldou as a ghost town. Some video documentation: FNN Syria Homs al Houla Destruction in the area close to the site of the massacre 12 9 2012

Continued Shelling (Reported)
(forthcoming)

Further Massacres (Reported)
(forthcoming)

Attack on Aqrab
Rebel-held Al-Houla has a special distinction for staging perhaps the worst-yet act of genocide against the same Alawite sect they've spent so long demonizing. On December 2, 2012, a mass of rebel fighters from Al-Houla, Rastan, and elsewhere descended on the town of Aqrab, just a couple miles north of Houla's Tal-Dahab. A spat with the Alawite community there had escalated, and they hit the Alawite district back. 1,500 fled, the remaining 500 were taken hostage by the rebels, and 300 were released in trades with the government (all numbers approximate). By the night of December 10, they told a world that didn't know that information yet, Alawite Shabiha held the remaining 200 in a house. Rebels and survivors in their custody, in Al-Houla, swore the Shabiha murdered their co-religionists by exploding the house, followed by army shelling and air force bombs. But the house that other escapees (not rebel-held) pointed to as their prison was belching smoke but standing the next day. One says they had been burning tires in the to suffocate the people, besides denying food and water. The world now acknowledges the rebels lied and had their witnesses support that lie, apparently under durress. They alone held those men, women, and children, and if anyone killed them, it was those same rebels. No proof either way has yet been offered or demanded, but considering the conditions described, it's hard to imagine many of them survived for long.

Attack on Busatin Al-Haswiyeh
There's little evidence yet to directly link Houla-based rebels to the January 15 massacre in this northern fringe area of Homs city. There is however some. Proximity makes it possible, with a bare 20 km, most of it open fields, between Taldou and the orchards of Haswiyeh that locals says hundreds of rebels took control of just before the killings. The best link is that Houla-based activists had detailed information on the alleged government killing. Activist Abu Yazan/Yazen, cited repeatedly on this page, is one of the prime sources on the later massacre. Speaking to Reuters:
 * ''Abu Yazen, an opposition activist in Homs, said the rebel Free Syrian Army occasionally entered the farmland of Basatin al-Hasawiya to attack a nearby military academy. "Assad's forces punish civilians for allowing the rebels to enter the area," he said. (In contrast, locals said the opposite - rebels killed locals for refusing to help them.) AP also spoke with him:
 * Haswiyeh is controlled by government forces, but activists said many of its residents have sons in the Free Syrian Army, the main rebel group fighting to topple Assad's forces."This is a purely sectarian attack meant to punish the rebels by targeting their families," said Abu Yazan, an opposition activist speaking via Skype from Houla.