#syria #warcrime report Al-Sanamein Massacre

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Al-Sanamein Massacre “Insider Story“
Testimonies Made by Survivors & Eyewitnesses on the horrific Massacre
Violation Documentation Center in Syria
April 2013


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Dozens of Martyrs and missing, hundreds of detainees and dozens of destroyed and incinerated houses were the initial outcome of the military raid waged by the regime’s forces on “ Al Sanamein “ city in the province of Dar’a.


The beginning of the raid:
Military’s raid on the city started at 5 AM on 10th of April 2013 with violent pounding of mortar and tanks at a rate of three shells per minute, snipers topped high buildings.

Regime’s forces from the ninth and seventh division and other brigades deployed around the area accompanied by tanks and armored vehicles had waged the city through city’s main market and west neighborhood sides up till the “ Qhaita “ intersection as reported by local activists, in parallel fierce clashes close to the Military hospital were taking place between regime’s forces and the Syrian free army who has tried to deter the attackers in vain due to the clear imbalance of power.

Activists confirmed that soldiers wearing yellow bands on their heads whom have never been seen before have taken part in the raid, noticeably they haven’t spoken with anybody, and locals came to believe that those were Iranian
The raid lasted for 12 consecutive hours with nonstop shelling, incineration, detention and maltreatment

Banning displacement :
Regime’s forces have imposed a crippling blockade on the city to prevent any flee attempt, Thus civilians were banned from displacement, and more than a dozen of the cars which have tried to exit the city was targeted by snipers and medium range weapons, that has Resulted the death of seven civilian from “ al-nasr “ family , among of which 4 women and a child, and six more from “ al-ohtmah” family whom were riding two pick-up cars on the ( Sanamein – khaitah al zira’ih ) road west of the city, whom were also trying to flee the city, as they were shelled with a tank mortar close to the “ Chickens’ Domesticate “ area.

Human shields
Witnesses confirmed that civilians were used by regime forces as human shields during the raid. According to a witness : regime’s forces have stormed number of houses and arrested only male inhabitants and used them as human shields against any Potential attack by the Syrian free Army.


Field executions
More than thirty people were field executed, 11 of them were shot on the old road of Kafar-shams most of those were children, locals were unable to retrieve the bodies for many hours after the raid.

In a testimony made by one of those who survived the massacre, a 20 year old college student:

( Upon hearing the massive shelling I came out of my home to a nearby yard where I hided, from there I was able to witness in my own eyes soldiers storming houses, and I could hear women screaming, and see men being taken for detention.

Among of those who I witnessed being field-executed were Yaseen and kassem shhadat and their cousin, where two of them were shot, and the third was slaughtered with a machete, Soldiers who were holding machetes were wearing orange or red bands around their wrists )

A Youngman who has survived the massacre, and happened to be a friend of one of the victims: Ibrahim Horieh , a 27 year old school teacher says :

( After providing treatment for some of the wounded, me and my friend Ibrahim and his brother Mohammad hid in a nearby house.

Accompanied by thugs wearing Yellow wrists’ bands Military forces came in to where we were, and asked for our ID’s , they were on the verge of executing Mohammad as he has forgotten his ID at home, that is when his father interfered, and told them that he could get it from their nearby home, and as mohammad reached the door of their home, A sniper shot him, instantly his father ran to him, Waving his hands up in the air in an attempt to demonstrate that he was only civilian , still he got shot himself by the same sniper

Father’s injury was fatal as the bullet was directly aimed at his heart, but mohammad’s injury wasn’t, yet sniper has shot him again in his thigh, Right after that soldiers came to his brother and told him : you had enough killing today “ having your father and brother shot “ , now go in to your home.

Mohammad has eventually bled to death after two hours, As Regime’s forces refused to let his family take him to any medical care center. )


Mohammad’s ID stained with the blood of his brother Ibrahim
Martyrs :
The final enumeration of the massacre was 60 martyrs, most of them were civilian.

Thirty of them have died due to the indiscriminate shelling and snipers’ shots, and the rest were field executed, among of which were 8 children and 8 women.




The ID of Martyr “ Nada Abo Horieh “ , who was shot when trying to save his son


Shelling & Sniper Shots' Martyrs:
1	 Nada al-Atmeh	Adult Female
2	 Nada Mofleh Abu Horieh	Adult Female
3	 Amina Mohammad al-Nassar	Adult Female
4	 Nabila Ali al-Atmeh	Adult Female
5	 Noor Sultan al-Atmeh	Adult Female
6	 Danya Mohammad Dorgham al-Atmeh	Adult Female
7	 Abeer Sultan al-Atmeh	Adult Female
8	 Yasmin Mohammad al-Nassar	Adult Female
9	 Shahad Mahmoud al-Nassar	Adult Female
10	 Mahmoud al-Nassar's daughter	Adult Female
11	 Hala Mahmoud al-Nassar	Adult Female
12	 Unidentified	Child Female
13	 Adnan Mostafa Al-hamad Al-Diab	Adult male
14	 Mohammad Amin Qasim	Adult male
15	 Khalid Jawdat al-Labad	Adult male
16	 Mohammad Amin Ahmad Nada al-Atmeh	Adult male
17	 Ali Mohammad al-Gondey	Adult male
18	 Mohammad Hasan al-Salim "al-Falah"	Adult male
19	 Mohammad Ahmad Salih al-Atmeh "al-Hasneh"	Adult male
20	 Hussain Fiesal al-Shatar	Adult male
21	 Ahmad mohammad Salih al-Atmeh "al-Hasneh"	Adult male
22	 Saleh Shehadeh al-Shahdat	Adult male
23	 Mahmoud Shehadeh al-Shahdat	Adult male
24	 Emad Mahmoud Shehadeh al-Shahdat	Adult male
25	 Imad al-Shtar	Adult male
26	 Walid al-Shtar	Adult male
27	 Mahmoud Ahmed Suleiman al-Atma	Adult male
28	 Ibrahim Nada Mofleh Abu Horia	Adult male
29	 Mahmoud Fayez al-Nassar	Adult male
30	 Abdullah Mahmoud al-Nassar	Adult male
31	 Unknow 1	Adult male
32	 Unknow 2	Adult male

Field Execution’s Martyrs :

33	 Mahmoud Ibrahim al-Shatar
34	 Ammar Hasan al-Shattar
35	 Omran Adnan al-Shatar
36	 Amer Adnan al-Shatar
37	 Qasem Mohammad al-Labad
38	 Ibrahim Nada al-Labad
39	 Qasem Ismael al-Labad
40	 Basher Mohammad Kher al-Labad
41	 Ahmad Mamoun al-Labad
42	 Mohammad Jamal al-Labad "Kabour"
43	 Mohammad Merey al-Shatar
44	 Mohammad Abu al-Gazar
45	 Mohammad Salameh al-Labad
46	 Qasim Mohammad al-Shihadat
47	 Yassin al-Shihadat
48	 Qasim al-Shihadat
49	 Nabil al-Shihadat
50	 Ahmad Ali al-Falah
51	 Ridwan Ahmad Ali
52	 Omar Ridwan Al-ali


Eleven more were field executed on Kafar-shams old road, most of them were children, and locals weren’t able to retrieve the bodies for many hours after the massacre.

some of the martyrs of the massacre

burying the martyrs


The Arrests :
More than 200 detainees randomly chosen was the final toll of the raid, and 19 more were missing, and their fate remain to be unknown till this moment.


Building and Property destruction :
The final outcome of the raid was:
15 houses were partially or completely destroyed due to shelling
25 houses were deliberately set on fire after storming them.
Tens of shops were robbed and set on fire.
30 car owned by the locals were set on fire due to either shelling or deliberately set on fire by Regime’s Forces.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exkRVcNMo6Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP1wS5Yn2WQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mml7FAyal-Y&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3WaZzQGs-w&feature=youtu.be


Medical status:
Sanamein has never had a field hospital before, neither any public or private one, nor medical equipment or staff.

All that it has was one medical point with primitive equipments, that was shelled during the raid, and accordingly the doctor serving in it ( Dr.Waleed Al-shataar ) passed away

Some of the wounded were medically treated by local medical staff (Nurses or pathogens), other than doctors.

Some were taken out of the city when it was possible, others couldn’t have access to any medical care, and accordingly they died either due to bleeding or being succumbed to their injuries.

It is worth mentioning here that this is the fourth massacre committed by the regime in this city (located 50 KM away from the capital) since the start of the uprising

Sanamein Stretches over a total area of more than 5000 hectares, and it mediates among many towns and villages in Dar’a Province



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