(Translation by Yusra Ahmed)
On 25th May three years ago, the Syrian regime and its militias committed a massacre against people in the town of Holeh near Homs, in which 180 people were killed according to UN figures, majority of them children, women and elderly.
About 108 people were brutally killed with knives, axes and guns, while the rest were killed as a result of mortar shelling.
United Nations’ (UN) representatives attending the Town of Holeh the very next day of massacre, but they were not able to reach to the area were it was committed because it was under regime’s control.
On the third Anniversary of Holeh’s Massacre, Zaman al-Wasl's team managed to enter the town and reach to al-Sad neighborhood, where the massacre was committed, which is situated to the South of the town of Taldo near the Dam.
People started to name it as “the massacre neighborhood.
Zaman al-Wasl team noticed that the neighborhood is deserted and empty where most houses were demolished by shelling and bombing of the regime’s forces who were in the Water Establishment where it overlook the whole area, besides Taldo barrier.
The team mentioned that blood traces were still on floor and walls of houses, where people were killed by regime militias who came from its loyal villages in al-Ghor, al-Qabo and al-Shiniyeh through Folleh village which is only 1 km away from the massacre place.
A. Abdel-razzak, who accompanied Zaman al-Wasl team to the place of massacre and his house, where all his family’s member were killed told Zaman al-Wasl: “on 25th May 2012 late afternoon, we heard that Shabiha gathered in Folleh village and they were heading toward us, my father advised me to hide in the penthouse because he was afraid of arresting me.
They entered our home at 5:30 pm shout they wanted to revenge, and killed my mother, father and my three siblings, now I am the only one left of my family.”
He added that he stayed hiding till the death squads left the town at 7:00 pm, then people discovered the massacre.
“I stayed shattered and shocked for months because I was not able to do anything to protect my family.”
Abdel-Razzak explained reasons behind the absence of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and its guarding barriers: “the Syrian regime started bombing and shelling Holeh’s areas in general with mortars and cannons after the Friday pray on 25th May to scatter the FSA’s fighters' attention and distract them in treating wounded people and bury the killed, as it did not come the fighters’ mind that regime’s forces could have come from al-Sad route, which was of course big mistake.”
Abdel-Razzak mentioned that about 50 of the massacre’s victims were relative to him.
Zaman al-Wasl team met an old man witnessed Holeh’s massacre, he told his horrible experience saying: “on that Friday at 5:00 pm, Shabiha’s vehicles came to the town from Folleh village, they were around 400 one with a Dushka with them, some of them with their military uniform, and other wore ordinary clothes, most of them were bald with long beards.”
The old man who was afraid to tell his name, explained that he was in his olive field, where he saw “Shabiha” spreading quickly when they reached to the neighborhood and whenever they entered a house, he heard sound of shots and who escaped, was killed in street.
The old man confirmed that sound of shooting stayed till 6:00. He mentioned that a relative of him escaped the massacre with miracle told him that people of the town opened their houses to “Shabiha” and regime’s militias, thinking that they would have inspected their houses as usual, women told them that only they with their children were in the houses, and men went to Lebanon for work.
Then the old man pointed to the East and told the team to go there and mentioned that regime’s forces committed another massacre near the arch at the entrance of Taldo village. He detailed that most victims were from the family of “al-Sayyed, including a police officer who was killed with 15 one of his family because his name was “Moawia.”
Taldo village, the biggest of Holeh town, is demolished and almost deserted as only 8000, a third of total population stayed in it. Most people left after the massacre to Lebanon, Damascus, Turkey and Homs, the team mentioned.
Moreover the Syrian regime implemented severe siege after the massacre that shocked the world and provoked it against the regime. There are little aid and support by the United nations and other humanitarian organizations in Holeh.
On 25th May three years ago, the Syrian regime and its militias committed a massacre against people in the town of Holeh near Homs, in which 180 people were killed according to UN figures, majority of them children, women and elderly.
About 108 people were brutally killed with knives, axes and guns, while the rest were killed as a result of mortar shelling.
United Nations’ (UN) representatives attending the Town of Holeh the very next day of massacre, but they were not able to reach to the area were it was committed because it was under regime’s control.
On the third Anniversary of Holeh’s Massacre, Zaman al-Wasl's team managed to enter the town and reach to al-Sad neighborhood, where the massacre was committed, which is situated to the South of the town of Taldo near the Dam.
People started to name it as “the massacre neighborhood.
Zaman al-Wasl team noticed that the neighborhood is deserted and empty where most houses were demolished by shelling and bombing of the regime’s forces who were in the Water Establishment where it overlook the whole area, besides Taldo barrier.
The team mentioned that blood traces were still on floor and walls of houses, where people were killed by regime militias who came from its loyal villages in al-Ghor, al-Qabo and al-Shiniyeh through Folleh village which is only 1 km away from the massacre place.
A. Abdel-razzak, who accompanied Zaman al-Wasl team to the place of massacre and his house, where all his family’s member were killed told Zaman al-Wasl: “on 25th May 2012 late afternoon, we heard that Shabiha gathered in Folleh village and they were heading toward us, my father advised me to hide in the penthouse because he was afraid of arresting me.
They entered our home at 5:30 pm shout they wanted to revenge, and killed my mother, father and my three siblings, now I am the only one left of my family.”
He added that he stayed hiding till the death squads left the town at 7:00 pm, then people discovered the massacre.
“I stayed shattered and shocked for months because I was not able to do anything to protect my family.”
Abdel-Razzak explained reasons behind the absence of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and its guarding barriers: “the Syrian regime started bombing and shelling Holeh’s areas in general with mortars and cannons after the Friday pray on 25th May to scatter the FSA’s fighters' attention and distract them in treating wounded people and bury the killed, as it did not come the fighters’ mind that regime’s forces could have come from al-Sad route, which was of course big mistake.”
Abdel-Razzak mentioned that about 50 of the massacre’s victims were relative to him.
Zaman al-Wasl team met an old man witnessed Holeh’s massacre, he told his horrible experience saying: “on that Friday at 5:00 pm, Shabiha’s vehicles came to the town from Folleh village, they were around 400 one with a Dushka with them, some of them with their military uniform, and other wore ordinary clothes, most of them were bald with long beards.”
The old man who was afraid to tell his name, explained that he was in his olive field, where he saw “Shabiha” spreading quickly when they reached to the neighborhood and whenever they entered a house, he heard sound of shots and who escaped, was killed in street.
The old man confirmed that sound of shooting stayed till 6:00. He mentioned that a relative of him escaped the massacre with miracle told him that people of the town opened their houses to “Shabiha” and regime’s militias, thinking that they would have inspected their houses as usual, women told them that only they with their children were in the houses, and men went to Lebanon for work.
Then the old man pointed to the East and told the team to go there and mentioned that regime’s forces committed another massacre near the arch at the entrance of Taldo village. He detailed that most victims were from the family of “al-Sayyed, including a police officer who was killed with 15 one of his family because his name was “Moawia.”
Taldo village, the biggest of Holeh town, is demolished and almost deserted as only 8000, a third of total population stayed in it. Most people left after the massacre to Lebanon, Damascus, Turkey and Homs, the team mentioned.
Moreover the Syrian regime implemented severe siege after the massacre that shocked the world and provoked it against the regime. There are little aid and support by the United nations and other humanitarian organizations in Holeh.
Zaman Al Wasl
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