Maan massacre
{{Short description|Reported massacre of Alawites in the village of Ma'an, Syria}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Maan massacre
| partof = the Syrian Civil War
| map = {{Location map | Syria
| caption =
| width = 250
| label =
| position = right
| lat_deg = 35.359586
| lon_deg = 36.795702
}}
| location = Ma'an, Hama Governorate, Syria
| target = Alawite population
| date = 9 February 2014
| type = Massacre
| fatalities = 21–62
| perps = {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Jund_al-Aqsa.svg}} Jund al-Aqsa
{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Ahrar_ash-Sham.svg}} Ahrar ash-Sham
Al-Nusra Front (Per Ba'athist Syria, denied by Ahrar al-Sham)
}}
{{Campaignbox Syrian civil war}}
The Maan massacre was a reported massacre of Alawites in the village of Ma'an, Syria on 9 February 2014.
Events
On 9 February 2014, rebels of the Jund al-Aqsa group attacked and captured the Alawite village of Maan, in Hama province, killing 21 civilians as well as 20 pro-government militiamen according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26114068|title=More Syrians flee besieged Homs Old City|work=BBC News|date=10 February 2014 |access-date=25 October 2014}} SOHR said that 14 of them were women.{{cite web|url=http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/119092-syria-army-seizes-alawite-massacre-village|title=Syria Army Seizes Alawite 'Massacre' Village|work=Naharnet|access-date=25 October 2014}}
The Syrian government gave a much higher death toll, initially claiming 42 civilians were killed and later 60, most of them women, children and the elderly.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/syrian-peace-talks-resume-acrimoniously-as-assad-regime-alleges-hama-massacre/2014/02/10/c571aa84-927c-11e3-b3f7-f5107432ca45_story.html|title=Syrian peace talks resume acrimoniously as Assad regime alleges massacre in Hama|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=25 October 2014}} The government blamed Nusra Front; however, rival rebel group Ahrar al-Sham said that its fighters collaborated with another group to kill around 50 pro-government fighters in the village and denied that the Nusra Front was involved.{{cite web|url=http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/2/10/un-brokered-syriatalksresumeingeneva.html|title=Syria peace talks resume; warring parties still far from agreement|access-date=25 October 2014}}
Aftermath
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon later expressed great shock at the "dozens" reported dead and demanded that "perpetrators of this massacre" be brought to justice.{{cite web | title=Secretary-General, Learning 'with Great Shock' of Reported Massacre in Syria, Strongly Condemns Violence against Civilians - Meetings Coverage and Press Releases | website=United Nations | date=2014-02-11 | url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2014/sgsm15639.doc.htm | access-date=2020-09-02}}{{cite web | title=UN 'shocked' at reports of Syria massacre | website=SYRIA NEWS | date=2014-02-12 | url=https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/article/3670/ | access-date=2020-09-02}}
The massacre caused demonstrations against Al Qaeda, Al Nusra Front, and the ruling Justice and Development Party by the Alawite community in Hatay, Mersin, Istanbul and other Turkish cities.{{cite web | last=Tastekin | first=Fehim | title=Syria war sparks Turkish Alawite anxiety | website=Al-Monitor | url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/02/turkey-alawite-identity-syria-arab-war.html | access-date=2020-09-02}}
On 17 February 2014, the Syrian Army recaptured Maan "after shelling and fighting.".
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Terrorist attacks in Syria}}
{{Syrian civil war}}
Category:2014 in the Syrian civil war
Category:February 2014 in Syria
Category:February 2014 crimes in Asia
Category:Massacres of the Syrian civil war in 2014
Category:Massacres of Alawites
Category:Massacres of the Syrian civil war perpetrated by the al-Nusra Front