Kafriya كفريا | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Kafriya | |
| Coordinates:35°59′23″N36°40′39″E / 35.98972°N 36.67750°E /35.98972; 36.67750 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Idlib |
| District | Idlib |
| Subdistrict | Ma'arrat Misrin |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
• Total | 4,404 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Kafriya (Arabic:كفريا, also spelledKifarya orKefraya) is a village in northernSyria, administratively part of theIdlib Governorate, located northwest ofIdlib. Nearby localities includeMaarrat Misrin to the north,Zardana to the northeast,Taftanaz to the east andal-Fu'ah andBinnish to the immediate south. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics, Kafriya had a population of 4,404 in the 2004 census.[1] Like nearby al-Fu'ah, Kafriya's inhabitants were predominantlyShia Muslims, while the surrounding areas are predominantlySunni Muslim.[2]
During theSyrian Civil War the village was placed under siege by rebels, and on 11 January 2016 theInternational Committee of the Red Cross and theWorld Food Programme organised an aid convoy to deliver food, medicine and other aid to the village and the nearby townAl-Fu'ah.[3]
On 19 July 2018, residents of Kafriya and al-Fu'ah and government fighters stationed in the two besieged towns were evacuated by buses to government-controlledAleppo under an agreement betweenIran, the Syrian government, andHayat Tahrir al-Sham, withTurkey as a mediator. Following the evacuation, the emptied towns were declared a military zone by HTS.[4]
During the evacuation process, aterrorist attack on the convoy of buses awaiting admission into government-held territories occurred, after which 126 people, including 68 children were killed.[5]
As of 6 February 2025, the original residents remain displaced, with the village currently being inhabited by 2,892IDPs (mostly from Idlib andHama Governorates).[6]
