Al-Nusra Front Kills 20 Druze in Syria

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

At least 20 members of Syria's Druze minority have been killed in an unprecedented shoot-out with Al-Qaida affiliate Al-Nusra Front in northwestern Syria, a monitor said on Thursday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deaths came Wednesday in the village of Qalb Lawzah in Idlib province, most of which is now controlled by an alliance including Al-Nusra.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said villagers had protested after a Tunisian Al-Nusra leader "tried to seize a house belonging to a Druze resident of Qalb Lawzah, claiming he was loyal to the regime."

"Relatives of the owner of the house protested and tried to stop him, then there was an altercation and shooting," he added.

"The Tunisian leader brought his men and accused the Druze residents of the village of blasphemy and opened fire on them killing at least 20 people, among them elderly people and at least one child."

Abdel Rahman said some of the villagers had weapons and returned fire, killing three members of Al-Nusra.

The Druze deaths were reported by Syria's official SANA news agency, which accused Al-Nusra and allied Islamist rebel group Ahrar al-Sham of an "appalling massacre committed against the people of Qalb Lawzah that claimed the lives of at least 30 people."

Quoting local sources, SANA said the dead included five members of a single family, three clerics and two women.

The agency also said the "terrorists... looted and burned dozens of homes."

The Druze, followers of a secretive offshoot of Shiite Islam, made up around three percent of Syria's pre-war population of 23 million people.

They are concentrated mostly in the southern province of Sweida, the only Druze-majority region of Syria, but there are several Druze villages through other parts of the country, including in Idlib.

The community has been somewhat divided during the country's uprising, with portions fighting alongside the government, but some parts expressing sympathy for the opposition.

Mostly, the Druze have taken up arms only in defense of their areas, and have kept out of the fighting more broadly.

The head of the Druze community in neighboring Lebanon, MP Walid Jumblat, is however a vocal opponent of President Bashar Assad's regime.

Writing on his official Twitter account on Thursday, he said contacts were underway to "calm the situation" after the deaths in Qalb Lawzah, without specifying further.

Comments 25
Thumb megahabib 11 June 2015, 12:48

But Jumblatt says Nusra are nice guys!

Missing ArabDemocrat.com 11 June 2015, 16:23

We will see what the reaction of Nusra to this.

Missing ArabDemocrat.com 11 June 2015, 16:24

Meanwhile, your regime keep killing dozens of civilians on a daily basis.

Thumb megahabib 11 June 2015, 17:06

Nusra's reaction to their own killings? How far will you go to defend them? The Syrian government does not kill civilians on purpose, unlike Salafist scum.

Thumb Mystic 11 June 2015, 18:08

NusraDemocrat, you approve of this slaughter it seems. Jumblat did indeed say that these guys were okay and not extreme.

Thumb _mowaten_ 11 June 2015, 18:10

wleik guys you dont understand, this is the freedom that m14 wants for syria and inchallah for lebanon. we are blessed to have all these moderates among us

Missing CFTC 11 June 2015, 18:48

@mowaten E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T. Still laughing since yesterday. Thank you

Default-user-icon + oua nabka + (Guest) 11 June 2015, 13:16

all Arguments of some wise guys so called politician puppets $£$£ down the drain and i think they will follow their arguments soon
god bless democracy

Thumb theresistance4.0 11 June 2015, 13:57

They must have been HA opertives TAKE-A-BEER!

Thumb _mowaten_ 11 June 2015, 18:10

you and your fantasy stories. man just go seek professional help.

Thumb theresistance4.0 11 June 2015, 18:19

And the hits keep on coming! Lmaoooooo Plz Texy of Saudi tell me more :)

Thumb theresistance4.0 11 June 2015, 19:00

It was a covert taqiya operation by Bashar, Iran, and HA to implant long bearded Saudi cousins of yours to give a bad name to the holy revolution of course! Long live the free thinkers and democracy lovers of your Wahhabism cult :) ....man Im almost as good as u O Texy of Saudi lol

Thumb _mowaten_ 11 June 2015, 19:07

lol anonyme takes any random case and invents all sorts of stories around it. than claims it's "proof". the only thing this proves is how delusional and/or fake you are.

Thumb _mowaten_ 11 June 2015, 19:28

hahahah "you made exposed" right... man just buzz off, it's not because we don't invent stories competing with the ones you imagined that you somehow have figured out some truth, it's just because we're not interested in your childish games.

Thumb theresistance4.0 11 June 2015, 21:12

My God man! Saudi of Teaxy ur right! We have no rational explanation for how ISIS came into the camp! There's the brooof bro! U didn't Sauidlock Holmes! Your sleuth detective work did it once again! U get a big TAKE-A-BEER!

Default-user-icon Toni (Guest) 11 June 2015, 14:25

God Bless the soles of Druze Martyrs ....

Thumb ex-fpm 11 June 2015, 17:20

Here is Amnesty's report on ethnic cleansing of Sunnis by Shiites in Iraq
أمنستي: مجازر وتطهير عرقي للعرب السنة بالعراق
http://www.aljazeera.net/news/humanrights/2015/6/11/أمنستي-مجازر-وتطهير-عرقي-للعرب-السنة-بالعراق
US-backed militias commit war crimes in Iraq
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/10/16/iraq-o16.html

Thumb ex-fpm 11 June 2015, 17:23

Additionally, any one who has done some reading will know the Druze in general in Syria have been supporting the regime and Jumblatt has been calling for the Druze in Syria not to alienate their surroundings and urging them to join the revolution.

Thumb kanaandian 11 June 2015, 17:40

Pure evil, pure savages, murderous barbarians!

Thumb theresistance4.0 11 June 2015, 18:21

Gosh ur Pals in Saudi who are on a head chopping streak sure arent gonna like your comments BJ

Thumb theresistance4.0 11 June 2015, 19:01

Anjad your such a zalami Efffff! bravo BJ :)

Thumb kanaandian 11 June 2015, 20:39

all of nusra is the same. these rats are the offspring of the saudi king, qatari emir, their entire religious system which is a violent cult known as wahabism.

Thumb _mowaten_ 11 June 2015, 18:11

why not millions while you're at it pajama? surely saying hezbollah killed millions would make your case of defending nusra and da3esh easier.

Missing CFTC 11 June 2015, 18:49

@mowaten E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T. Still laughing since March when you commented on the 10 boxes of TOW missiles received by the LAF at Beirut Airport. Thank you!

Thumb Tony.Farris 11 June 2015, 22:43

Syria = North Korea
Iran = North Korea
Hezbcocaine = North Korea
All the fag who support the F&&&&king hezbcocaine are North Korean.