Massacres and destruction of the neighbourhoods which are fostered with rebels in a methodological manner by the Syrian regime… the massacre and demolition of Al Qaboun neighbourhood is a strong example of this.
Documented by: the Syrian network for human rights.
The free Syrian army consists of defected soldiers in addition to young Syrian men who belong to different sects and beliefs, different professions and occupations, and come from various layers of the society; some are doctors, engineers, pharmacists and employees in the public sector, this means that normal citizens took up arms. The free Syrian army reside with the Syrian people as they are an integral part of Syria; they are brothers, fathers or relatives.
There are specific neighbourhoods in Syria which differ to others in that they are revolutionary neighbourhoods, and these areas were specifically targeted by the Syrian regime, they were shelled and destroyed and wiped off the map at all costs, material or human. The main aim was to get rid of the whole area in which the free Syrian army are residing.
This tactic has been implemented in all the Syrian cities, in this report we discuss a specific case: Al Qaboun neighbourhood which is situated North West of the capital city, Damascus, in which horrific massacres and demolition of residential buildings and construction has taken place.
After a painstakingly long period of time due to many obstacles such as the difficulty of reaching the area, the detention of a large number of civilians and activists in the neighbourhood and the fear of the citizens to speak about the incident. The Syrian network of human rights team managed to get in touch with the remaining activists, visited the area and documented the mightiest military campaign in a Damascus neighbourhood, which is Al Qabun neighbourhood
Date of the barbaric military campaign: 16/07/2012 until 01/08/2012
Al Qaboun neighbourhood is one of the most important revolutionary neighbourhoods; it is situated in the north of the capital city, Damascus. This neighbourhood was subjected to a barbaric, boisterous campaign by the Syrian regime, which is considered to be one of the toughest campaigns faced by the capital city. The result of this incident was the complete demolition of the construction in which rebels resided, due to a harsh attack which was launched on the neighbourhood in a methodological manner. The main targets of this attack were the civilians, and the aim behind this was to instil fear and to discipline them.
An eye witness and an activist that can be contacted and for more questions or clarifications: free.qabon
An eye witness from Al Qaboun Neighbourhood : rebelred4
On Monday, 16/07/2012, the Syrian army’s forces shelled residential buildings in Al Qaboun neighbourhood directly and deliberately using tanks, mortars and war planes. Clashes between the Syrian army and the free Syrian army also took place on the outskirts of the neighbourhood.
The sound of explosions and clashes on Monday, 16/07/2012
At 1 AM on Tuesday 17/07/2012, the Syrian army resumed the shelling of the neighbourhood using mortars. According to witnesses, approximately 25 shells were dropped on the neighbourhood within one hour, this was followed by the flight of helicopters which opened fire on the neighbourhood in an indiscriminate manner for more than 5 hours until 7 AM, this resulted in the destruction of a vast number of homes.
The flight and shelling from helicopters:
On Tuesday morning, tanks and machinery started to surround the neighbourhood completely, at a time when the electricity, communication and water were cut. These tanks began to shell the neighbourhood violently in addition to shelling with mortars, warplanes and shooting homes indiscriminately with helicopters. This was in conjunction with the proliferation of snipers on the roofs of tall buildings.
The shelling on Tuesday, in addition to the burning and the destruction of homes due to the Syrian regime’s shelling
The inability of the Syrian regime to distinguish between the free army targets and the civilian targets and their use of airplanes and tanks during the clashes with the free Syrian army caused the free Syrian army to withdraw on Wednesday 18/07/2012, as we were informed by a member of Al Qaboun coordination.
On Thursday, 19/07/2012, following the breaking in of the neighbourhood by the Syrian army, a massacre was committed in Teshreen neighbourhood, what was more horrifying than this is that the Syrian government requested the Syrian media to take photos of the civilians and to portray them as gang members by throwing weapons on their dead bodies. The Syrian security forces then kidnapped those bodies after this horrible act was over and the citizens were unable to identify whether their children were detained or killed.
This video is taken from the Syrian media; it shows the dead bodies of Al Qaboun neighbourhood citizens after they were killed by the Syrian army.
http://youtu.be/GjXm2241NMo
The artillery and helicopter shelling by the Syrian army continued for two days: Thursday 19/07/2012 and Friday 20/07/2012, despite the retreat of the free Syrian army. A large number of citizens were killed as a result and many people were injured. The Syrian government cut off all forms of communication and electricity and even water throughout that whole period of time, and the civilians were not able to reach the cemetery and buried the dead in the roads.
http://youtu.be/k7CLrI3InDU
http://youtu.be/od02w_1GDh4
http://youtu.be/_DiPGNM3OkQ
According to the civilians narrations to the Syrian network of human rights and as was narrated by the few people who lived through these days (as more than 80% of the citizens of the neighbourhood emigrated, however, a few families were under siege and did not manage to escape), On Saturday, 20/07/2012, The Syrian regimes forces broke into Al Qaboun neighbourhood and committed many of its barbaric campaigns in some areas such as Teshreen neighbourhood – Al Tahreeb market, where they broke into homes in a violent and harsh manner and stole furniture and vandalised their contents. In addition to this, they burned down many of these homes, shops and cars, which is what happened in Al-Ba’la and Al Tahreeb market, they also slaughtered many of the neighbourhoods young men during operations which indicate the degradation of the human level.
This military campaign resulted in the death of 96 civilians, including 2 women and 2 children. Through our field visits over a number of weeks and through our constant contact with the citizens, we were able to document the names through pictures and videos. However, we were unable to document some free Syrian army members and we confirm that the number of victims is much bigger than this as there are more than 140 of the neighbourhood citizens who are still missing
1. Ibtisam Zaino ( a mother of 5 children)
2. Raqiqa Ghannam (woman)
3. AbdulHadi AbdulHai (child)
4. AlHaj Musa Zaino (child)
5. Sa’eed Awad
6. Halal Al’Alawi
7. AlHaj Khalid AlShaghari
8. Mahmoud AlZakkour AlAli ( from Aleppo)
9. Attiyah Salem (from Egypt)
10. Mo’ayad AlSharbaji
11. Yahya Ataya
12. Mazen AbdulWahed
13. Mohammad AbdulWahed
14. Mahdi AlSaidnawi (Abu Mohammad)
15. Majdi AlBaghdadi
16. Na’eem AlHabboul (Abu kasem)
17. Abu Fayez AlKhatib (son of Abu Kaffah)
18. Jamal AlHabboul ( Abu Abdo Hweyan)
19. Wassim Kredi
20. Basel Jabra (Abu Hadi)
21. Iyad Fareez AlSagheer (killed by a sniper in a Zamalaka division)
22. An Identified citizen from Masraya city
23. AbdulRahman AlSaeed ( 13 year old child, son of Abu Rami)
24. Sulaiman AlHamwi (Abu Majed)
25. AbdulSamad Zaino
26. AbdulSalam Haj Qaddour (Abu Imad from Binnish city)
27. Abdo Zaino (Abu Da’as)
28. Mohammad AlKhatib
29. Anwar A’rfa
30. Anas AbdulSalam
31. Hassan AlRaihani
32. Firas AbdulBari
33. Hadi A’lyan ( AlTawani Village)
34. Ra’ed Mohammad Gharra (23 years)
35. An unidentified citizen killed during the massacre
36. Tamam AbdulHai (15 years)
37. AlHaj Samer Idris Jaw’aana
38. Ali AlAllawi
39. Mohammad Nouh
40. Ahmad Bouzgha
41. Mohammad Mahmoud AlDairi ( from Dar’aa)
42. Ibrahim Mohammad Ali AlJaloud ( 40 years)
43. Yasser Mohammad Ali AlJaloud (35 years)
44. Hussain Mustafa Mohammad Ali AlJaloud (35 years)
45. Mohammad Najib Mohammad Ali AlJaloud (25 years)
46. Mohammad Khalid Mohammad Ali AlJaloud (18 years)
47. Salah AbdulKarim (from Palestine)
48. Mohammad Salah AbdulKarim ( from Palestine)
49. Adnan (Abu Mer’i, from Palestine)
50. Mohammad Shakkour (run over by a tank)
51. Hisham Shakkour (run over by a tank)
52. Yousuf Zaza (Abu Majd, from Rokn AlDeen)
53. Mohammad AlSheikh Salem ( from Idlib)
54. Mohammad Isa Jarban
55. Ma’moun AlMasri
56. Zaher Aoso ( from Idlib, AlDana)
57. Khalid Isa ( Hfair)
58. Yasmeen Amana ( from Idlib)
59. Kayed Amana ( from Idlib)
60. Mohannad ( Abu Ali)
61. Ramzi Skaikh Mohammad ( from Idlib, Binnish)
62. Mohannad Sulaiman ( from Idlib, Jesr AlShughour)
63. A’laa Gharra
64. Hameed Sulaiman ( from Palestine)
65. Mohammad Nour AlHamad
66. Abu Mohammad AlTarzi (Douma)
67. Ahmad AlAswad ( Abu Rafeeq)
68. AbdulLatif Ajneed ( Abu Abdo)
69. A young man from Al AlBadawi ( slaughtered)
70. Mohammad Hamza ( Halboun)
71. A’wad Hamza ( Abu Hussain)
72. Abdo Hamaza ( Halboun)
73. AlHaj Mohammad Nayef Mar’i ( 70 years)
74. Mahmoud Omar Jebneh (38 years)
75. Samer Ahmad Qais (25 years)
76. Khalid Mohammad Qais ( 25 years, died in Teshreen neighbourhood massacre)
77. Khalid Ali AlA’sali (26 years
78. Anad Ali AlBahri (22 years)
79. Ziad Ali Darwish ( 25 years)
80. Ismael ( son of cream seller)
81. Ibrahim ( son of cream seller)
82. Abu Yasser AlKalawi (from Idlib)
83. Ahmad AlKurdi ( 40 years)
84. Mohammad AlKurdi(38 years)
85. Halim Amani
86. Doctor Mur’i Hussain
87. Brother of Doctor Mur’i Hussain
88. cousin of Doctor Mur’i Hussain
89. Faraj Labbad ( Shafifa)
90. Nabil A’lyan ( Abu Sa5r)
91. Mohammad Alyan
92. Hussain Mahmoud AbdulRahman
93. Bilal Adnan AlBaghdadi
94. Safwan AlSaghir
95. Ahmad Ghannam
96. AbdulMajid Jillo ( died in Teshreen neighbourhood massacre)
Attachements:
Firstly: videos and pictures which document the martyrs names:
http://youtu.be/od02w_1GDh4
http://youtu.be/_DiPGNM3OkQ
http://youtu.be/Yc49Lc2fxO4
http://youtu.be/oyqq8FaTReg
http://youtu.be/QdUcRQARlWE
Anwar A’rfah (Abu Omar) – A victim of this campaign
http://youtu.be/k7CLrI3InDU
http://youtu.be/ATvFhkm6Vro
a few picture of some of the bodies which were subjected to abuse:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.384771974911923.97686.174517432604046&type=3
Secondly: the destruction and damage to construction
Tanks destroyed homes and shop in Damascus, Al Qaboun:
http://youtu.be/1ry7Myo7YSI
The effects of demolition and burning of Al Qaboun neighbourhood
http://youtu.be/1-_y1zjofE0
Thirdly: the shelling
Damascus, Al Qaboun neighbourhood shelled by helicopters on 17/07/2012
the stationing of a sniper in Al Qaboun neighbourhood on 19/07/2012
Shelling by warplanes on Al Qaboun neighbourhood on 19/07/2012
Breaking into Al Qaboun neighbourhood with artillery, 19/07/2012
The tanks which shelled Al Qaboun neighbourhood, 19/07/2012
The following attachments show the destruction of the neighbourhood:
The Syrian regime destroyed more than 65% of the neighbourhood by indiscriminate shelling without any warning; this resulted in the demolition of many homes and shops which were fully bulldozed of furniture and clothes
The continuous destruction of the industrial area and its surroundings resulted in the demolition of more than 400 homes and 1200 shops and warehouses in which more than 60% of the citizens were residing
The dire state of fear and horror of those who remained alive from the civilians in the area, which was left in a devastating state and is under a risk of an outbreak of epidemics and diseases
Abdullah Ibn Mubarak Mosque which was targeted more than 3 times by snipers and rockets from an air intelligence branch, this resulted in the partial destruction of the mosque
Area (1) between the international highway and Al Boulman garages road which was completely bulldozed, the remnants of this area are destroyed homes, shops and electricity cables
Area (2) in between the Al Boulman garages road and the southern Highway in which everything, even the trees, was shovelled.
Area (3) ) the shops opposite the garages road was bulldozed completely, even the area surrounding Hijazi petrol station and for about 20 meters in depth in some lanes
The surrounding area of AlFath mosque, which contains homes and shops, was demolished, and what was left it was robbed by thugs
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.405505042838616.103089.174517432604046&type=3
The continuous barbaric destruction indicates to a humanitarian disaster, which reaches approx 15 000 people who are stuck with no shelter or work which they can depend on
The Syrian network for human rights estimates that the damage to the destruction costs 875 million Syrian lira
Pictures of the ruin and devastation of violent bombardment neighbourhood:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.389695944419526.98921.174517432604046&type=3
We, The Syrian Network of Human rights, seek to protect and defend human rights. We explicitly condemn this horrific massacre which is openly classified as a crime against Human Rights, along with the remaining massacres against the Syrian people – all of which have been committed by Assad forces. We hold the Syrian regime, the Commander in Chief of the Armed forces full and direct responsibility of the massacre. In addition to this, we also hold Russia, Iran and Hizbullah direct responsibility of the killing as they continue to provide the Syrian regime with weapons and money. We call for the United Nations and Security Council to take immediate action and speed to protect the Syrian people and to live up to their responsibilities. We urge them to accelerate their steps in referring all those involved in this massacre to the International Criminal Court.