| Aqrab massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of theSyrian civil war | |
  Location of Aqrab within Syria. | |
| Location | Aqrab,Hama Governorate,Syria |
| Date | 11 December 2012 (2012-12-11) |
| Target | Alawite population |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Weapons | Bombs/explosives |
| Deaths | Unclear: 125–300 killed or wounded reported |
| Perpetrators | Disputed[1] |
TheAqrab massacre is a contested event which occurred on 10/11 December 2012, during theSyrian civil war, in theAlawite section of the mixed town ofAqrab,Hama Governorate,Syria. TheSyrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that 125 people were killed or wounded in those events, while other activists claimed that as many as 300 people were killed.[2] Activists said that they could confirm the deaths of 10 people.[3]
In 2011 an uprising began in Syria against the government. A multitude of events includemilitary sieges and the formation of theFree Syrian Army, the events turned into theSyrian civil war. As theethnic and religious composition was mixed both sides had support from various factions. Theruling party has numerous political leaders belonging to theAlawite minority in Syria, but neither side of the conflict had labeled sectarianism as a major cause of the conflict.[3]
TheUK-based pro-oppositionSyrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that multiple attacks killed or wounded 125 civilians, mostly Alawites, in Aqrab.[4]
The SOHR initially blamed pro-Assad forces for committing the massacre, based on testimony by Alawites held by the FSA.[5] However,Alex Thomson, the first western journalist to reach Aqrab, reported that eyewitnesses not held by FSA blamed foreign Islamists and FSA fighters fromHoula andAl-Rastan.[6][7]
Another Alawite resident, from the nearby town ofMasyaf, blamed the attack on rebels stating that they did not believe there was a massacre, but that they thought the rebels were holding a number of hostages. According to him, the clashes started when the rebels shelled aShabiha militia checkpoint in the town. In contrast, a rebel claimed that the Syrian army shelled a house where between 200 and 500 Alawites were hiding in.[3]
The next day, the casualty counts still varied but several activists said that they could confirm the deaths of 10 people.[3] SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahma stated that "We cannot know whether the rebels were behind this attack, but if they were, this would be the largest-scale revenge attack against Alawites".[8] Anti-government activists also claimed that wounded Alawite children came to an opposition-run field hospital in the Sunni rebel region ofHoula.[3]
On 14 December, Alex Thomson of Britain'sChannel 4 News filled a report after he managed to travel to the outskirts of Aqrab. He interviewed three people who claimed to have escaped from the village to government-controlled territory, without the presence of any government minders. All three blamed the rebels, not the pro-government Alawite militia, for the killing of Alawites in their village. The report also suggested that there was no massacre at all and Thomson noted that conversations with a dozen other Alawites who had fled from Aqrab further backed up the three witnesses. According to them, hundreds of civilians were trapped in one building, besieged by the rebels, for more than a week. They stated "the rebels wanted to take the women and children to al-Houla to use them as human shields against bombardment from government forces, and they believed they would kill the remaining men". Although the negotiations to free all of the people in the building failed, a number of people were released before some were killed and others were taken to Houla.[9]
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