Darat Izza دارة عزة | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Darat Izza | |
| Coordinates:36°16′58″N36°51′7″E / 36.28278°N 36.85194°E /36.28278; 36.85194 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Aleppo |
| District | Mount Simeon |
| Subdistrict | Darat Izza |
| Control | Syria |
| Elevation | 477 m (1,565 ft) |
| Population (2004 census)[2] | |
• Town | 13,525 |
| • Metro | 41,953[1] |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Darat Izza (Arabic:دارة عزة, also spelledDarat Aza orDarit Izza) is a town in northernSyria, administratively part of theAleppo Governorate, located 30 kilometres (19 miles) northwest ofAleppo. Nearby localities includeDeir Samaan to the north,Anadan to the east andTurmanin to the southwest.
According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Darat Izza had a population of 13,525 in the 2004 census.[2] In 2013, its metropolitan area had a population of 41,953.[1]
Leading to Darat Izza is a well-preserved stretch of an ancientRoman road dating to the 2nd century CE.[3] During theOttoman Empire era, Darat Izza was well known for the cotton fabrics it produced.[4]
During theSyrian Civil war against the government ofBashar al-Assad, On June 23, 2012, 25 government supporters were killed in the town by members of theFree Syrian Army (FSA). The government claimed they were ordinary citizens while the FSA and theSyrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed they were pro-governmentShabiha militiamen.[5] They were part of a larger group kidnapped by a rebel group. The fate of the others kidnapped was unknown though it was suspected they were handed over toJabhat al-Nusra. Many of the corpses of the Shabiha militia killed were in military uniform.[6][7][8]
A secondary school has turned into a police station, a courthouse and a temporary town hall run by the rebels. It is part of a nascent rebel administration that is taking shape in areas of the country where Assad's authority has disappeared as his security forces try to secure control of Syria's main cities: Aleppo, Damascus, Homs and others. A defector from the Assad administration, Abdul Hadi heads a "revolutionary" security force made up of some 40 officers, all of them former policemen in the government. At times, Abdul Hadi's role seems more akin to that of a local mayor than a police officer. Among his self-assigned responsibilities, he monitors local bread supplies, urging bakeries to adjust production according to need. Recent rebel attacks on a government-owned wheat silo and army gasoline depots have given them access to new supplies.[9]On 21 November, rebels attacked the nearby Sheikh Suleiman base (which was under siege for over two months), but were repelled from the area by an army counterattack, in which 25 rebels were killed.[10] on 10 December, the base was taken by opposition forces. A little over 100 regime troops that were left inside the base retreated to the scientific building wearing gas masks.[11]
The town was under the control of theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant since September 2013,[12] but they withdrew following a wide-scale offensive led by theArmy of Mujahedeen and theIslamic Front.[13]
Sabah andA Haber have stated in 2017 that theTurkish Armed Forces may be establishing a base by the Sheikh Barakat Mountain to facilitate an advance intoIdlib Governorate.[14][15] Recently, the town came under the control of theSyrian National Army.[citation needed]
On 17 February 2022, a fighter of theSyrian Opposition was shot dead by aSyrian army sniper during a skirmish near the town.[16][17]
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