Talk:Buraq Factory Bombing

Al-Nusra Claims Responsibility

SOHR, Feb. 24:

The al-Nusra front announced its responsibility for the suicide operation during which a man set off a detonated bus next to the Ma'amel al-Difa' (defence plants) in the Braq village of Reef Hama dated 6/2/2013. Dozens of workers in the plant were killed, the Syrian Observatory documented 60 names (11 women) of residents from the Salamiya city of eastern Reef Hama, its neighbouring villages and the cities of Homs and Hama. Sources from the area reported that casualties by the explosions reached more than 100.

Took a while this time.No details given on where, when, and how they claimed the attack. --Caustic Logic (talk) 08:24, 2 March 2013 (UTC)

VDC

81 Hama martyrs killed by "explosion" Feb. 6. All civilian, Martyrdom location given as Hama : Salamiya : Tal Qartal. Notes: "a Massacre due to an explosion at the main gate of defense factory. it is said that Jobhat Nousra has Issued a statement adopting the bombing." Out of these 81, 67 are adult males and 14 are women, hailing from Hama cities and towns of Salamiya, Taldara, Tal Qartal, Takses village, and a few others. Names won't matter as much since they weren't singled out by it, but for what it's worth, they include al-Raey/Raye x2, al-Zeir/Zeer x4, Haidar/Hidar/Hiedar x6, Al-Mikdad x3, Jawhara x2, Ismael x2, Jiratly x2, Qasem, Hana, "Gargnazy family," etc.

Note: by working at a defense plant, these people could have been listed under regime casualties, rank: civilian, as often happens for less reason than that. But here, perhaps because of the profile of the crime, they're claimed as "martyrs" killed by al-Nusra, people who would also be "martyrs" if they'd been killed in the operation. The suicide driver, in fact, should have, but is not listed, even as an unidentified presumed blank spot. Otherwise, it would be a bit awkward. --Caustic Logic (talk) 07:04, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

WMD Connections?

An interesting source on this military factory attack is an Israeli (?) commentator at some forum Freedom's Torch. This says "According to fragmentary reports were killed approximately 113 employees and hundreds of other complex including many injured critically and are expected to die in the coming hours." And it makes the claim it was at "an establishment 797 Factory" (??) and "This site - Buraq or "lightning" in Hebrew is considered the largest Brothers "of the Institute for Scientific Research Bg'mraia bombed by Israel last week." and/or "the suspect plant nuclear activity in Syria," since "in 3 years the International Commission seeks nuclear energy regime in Syria to visit the site but stubbornly rejected." Three years IAEA monitors trying to get in suggests a link to their 2008 visit to the alleged reactor Israel hit in 2007 (and which it took three years to announce was a reactor both under construction and yielding plutonium residue consistent with operating, BTW, in April 2011, go figure. WMDs to justify regime change, by whichever means).

Anyway, that site's graphics point to this area next to the town of Buraq as the "797" facility, with the blast at the northwest corner gate. Other areas nearby: Ar-Rastan, for one, a couple of kilometers southwest. Reuters mentioned last July "the Tal Qartal military site, around 14 km (10 miles) southwest of Hama" as an alleged chemical weapon storage site. The weapons had just been removed, they heard, flown to Damascus and Lebanon with Iranian help, according to a rebel commander, contradicted by Israeli words and actions at the time. According to a Wikimpia label, Tal Qartal is here, about a kilometer from the possible bombing site, and looking scant in defenses. Apparently, this means the military mountains next the town, according to the red military tags all over - the same area hosting the factory whose workers were just blown-up.

Therefore, as Syria blames Israel acting via Jabhat Al-Nusra, as ridiculous as it might sound, and while even anti-gov. activists agree Al Nusra was likely behind this, this commentator decided "It seems that the invisible hand went into action in Syria. Strategic sites involved in developing non-conventional capabilities and nuclear chemistry and biology were introduced into a bead. [...] And after she also hit Bg'mraia [Jamraya] Scientific Research Institute last week." This time, civilian workers specifically were targeted in a clear terrorist crime. Hmmm... --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:43, 10 February 2013 (UTC) and edits --Caustic Logic (talk) 01:37, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Sources

Reuters, Feb. 8: Fifty killed in Syria bombing: monitor group

More than 50 workers at a military factory in central Syria were killed in a bombing earlier this week, an opposition watchdog which monitors violence in Syria said on Friday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 54 people died in Wednesday's explosion which struck their bus as they were preparing to return home at the end of their shift, and the number could rise further. The Observatory said 11 of the victims from the bombing in Buraq, about 10 km (six miles) south of the city of Hama, were women.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the bombing, which angered many Syrian activists, who blamed Islamist hardliners for the attack. Some described it as "terrorist" attack which targeted civilians.

Notes that Al Nusra Front "last month said it was behind a car bombing which killed 42 people, including women and children in Salamiyah." Some of the workers killed are from that same town. --Caustic Logic (talk) 13:49, 9 February 2013 (UTC)

World Reaction

So far, the lack of world leader condemnation is noteworthy. The main criticism comes from Syrians, government loyalists and anti-government activists alike. The Syrian Observatory, the main source cited by news reports, also said on Facebook (not cited):

The SOHR strongly condemns this latest war crime against civilians and is shocked by the silence of the international community over the massacres committed in Syria by all sides. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:42, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Reuters heard from at least one in-country activist who was incensed.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the bombing, which angered many Syrian activists, who blamed Islamist hardliners for the attack. Some described it as "terrorist" attack which targeted civilians. "They are workers, they are civilians. Some people need to work to feed their families. This does not make them criminals," said an activist from Hama province who declined to be named. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:42, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

One exception in the Western media is the useful idiot Jack Cafferty's blog at CNN, decrying the government bombing (?), government beheadings of women and children (?) and lack of UN action to stop the government (damn Russia):

Another deadly day of bloodshed... as the world stands idly by and watches Syria's government murdering its own people.

Opposition groups say more than 50 people were killed today. Hundreds more were reportedly killed in the city of Homs over the weekend.

And the killing has become butchery. One Syrian told the New York Times of seeing the beheaded bodies of women and children lying on the roads.

Note: Cafferty got his years mixedup. This sounds like something recent, but was reported Feb. 4, 2012 jointly by Neil MacFarquhar and the now deceased Anthony Shadid - died 12 days later. Check this: random and massive shelling kills as manyas 260. "Abu Omar" says "“After this, no one in the world can blame us for fighting, even if we have to use kitchen knives." And maybe they did. "Abu Jihad" says "“I saw bodies of women and children lying on roads, beheaded. It’s horrible and inhuman. It was a long night helping people get to hospitals.” --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:26, 14 February 2013 (UTC)

Or rather, I'm mixed up. The 50 has nothing to do with this. Cafferty was speaking a year ago after all, and the slightly wrong daye too, Feb. 6. Oops. Scratch one exception to the silence. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:29, 14 February 2013 (UTC)

And the civilized world looks on and does nothing. China and Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council draft resolution that would have demanded President Bashar Al-Assad stop the violence.

I believe, rather, they support the government's efforts to stop the cited violence. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:42, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

LCC did mention it, Feb. 7, calling the victims martyrs but otherwise not specifying what they were martyrs for, or who martyred them: "68 martyrs were reported in Hama (most of them were martyred due to explosion in Salamiya)" The detailed part gives names of the examples of a work force rebels will be hoping gets smaller and smaller:--Caustic Logic (talk) 00:03, 13 February 2013 (UTC)

Hama: Salamyeh: fall of tens of martyrs and wounded, mostly civilians; amongst which are 10 women, in the explosion that targeted defense factory yesterday, upon leaving their work at the end of working hours. Names of martyres were reported from the national hospital today: Ahmad Tanakhi, Hassan Fattoum, Jamr Haidar, Ibtisam Haidar, Ammar Haidar, Hadeyeh Adra, Rula al-Raii, Maysaa al-Zeer, Mahmoud al-Zeer, Rima Rafaat Ali, Sanaa al-Raii, Foz al-Herk, Smar Wassouf, Helen Adnan al-Najjar, Hasan Alia Abu-Ammar, Ali el-Sous, Ghidaa Johar, Merii Johar. Moreover, many other martyrs from Kafat and Kebet-Kerdi villages and from Hama and Homs were martyred in this explosion but whose names were not reported as yet