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October 2, 2012

A Massacre That Bodes Ill for Syria

Hassan Hassan, The National

AP Photo

Al Fan Ashamali is a small Syrian village in Hama's northern countryside. Like many Sunni villages in the provinces of Hama, Homs and Tartous, the hamlet adjoins Alawite villages. It also links the Alawite-majority city of Surwan with the Ismaili-majority Salamiyah city.

Exactly a month ago, the village was shelled overnight by the Assad regime's army. The next morning, armed Alawite men from the nearby villages of Telaisiya, Zughbah and Al Fan Al Qibli stormed the village. Armed with knives and light weapons, the militias reportedly slaughtered at least 30 people, including women and children.

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TAGGED: sectarianism, Alawites, Syria

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