Page 9 - ARUBA TODAY

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WORLD NEWS Saturday 6 OctOber 2018

In Syria's Sweida, young men take up arms to defend villages

By ZEINA KARAM aimed a hunting rifle at the
SWEIDA, Syria (AP) — May- men, while she hunkered
soun Saab's eyes filled with downstairs with the chil-
tears as she recalled find- dren. At least two of the
ing her parents bleeding to men blew themselves up
death on the ground out- nearby.
side their home, minutes af- At the crack of dawn,
ter they were shot by Islam- Maysoun heard another
ic State militants on a killing neighbor screaming, "Abu
spree across once tranquil Khaled has been shot!"
villages they infiltrated in — referring to Maysoun's
a southeastern corner of father. Ignoring her hus-
Syria. band's orders to stay in-
Within an hour, she had lost doors, Maysoun ran over
her mother, father, brother the rocky path to her par-
and 34 other members of ent's house, and spotted
her extended family. Over- her father's bloodied body
all, more than 200 people on the ground near the
were killed and 30 hostages front porch. She screamed
abducted in the coordinat- for her mother and found
ed July 25 attacks across her lying nearby, shot in her
Sweida province. leg, blood everywhere.
It was one of the biggest "There is no greater trag-
single massacres of the Syr- In this Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018, photo, young Druze armed men, who carry weapons to defend their edy than to see your par-
ian civil war and the worst village from Islamic State attack, patrol the village of Rami in the southern province of Sweida, ents like this, strewn on the
bloodshed to hit the prov- Syria. ground before your eyes.
ince since the conflict be- Associated Press We were together just the
gan in 2011, underscoring night before, staying up
the persistent threat posed usually peaceful province villagers. They said the Syr- series of suicide bombings late together and talking.
by the Islamic State group, that has managed to stay ian army had provided unfolded simultaneously in ... They took them away
which has been largely largely on the sidelines of them with weapons to form the nearby provincial capi- from us," she said, choking
vanquished but retains the seven-year Syrian war, civilian patrols to defend tal of Sweida. back tears.
pockets of territory in south- and where most villagers their towns and villages. In Shreihi, a small agricultur- Maysoun's brother, Khaled,
ern and eastern Syria. work grazing livestock over Residents recalled a sum- al village of cement houses, meanwhile, was trapped
More than two months af- the surrounding hills. mer day of pure terror that Maysoun and her husband with his wife and daugh-
ter the attack, tensions over "We still haven't really ab- began with gunfire and were asleep in one room, ter in their home, fearfully
the missing hostages — all sorbed what happened cries of "Allahu Akbar!" that their children, 16-year-old watching the IS fighters
women and children — are to us. It's like a dream or a rang out at 4 a.m. Militants Bayar and 13-year-old from their shuttered win-
boiling over in Sweida, a nightmare that you don't who had slipped into the Habib, in another when she dow. Another brother,
mountainous area which wake up from," said Saab, villages under the cover of heard the first burst of gun- who rushed to their aid,
is a center for the Druze a slender woman with a darkness knocked on doors, fire. From her window, she was killed outside Khaled's
religious minority. Anger long braid showing under- sometimes calling out resi- saw the silhouette of her home.
is building up, and young neath a loose white scarf dents' names to trick them neighbor, Lotfi Saab, and Less than an hour later,
men are taking up arms. covering her hair. into opening. Those who his wife in their house. Then Maysoun called to tell
This week, the militants shot During a rare visit to the did were gunned down. she saw armed men push Khaled that both their par-
dead one of the women, Sweida countryside by an Others were shot in their open the door, point a rifle ents were dead.
25-year-old Tharwat Abu Associated Press team, beds. Women and children at them and shoot. May- When he was able to leave
Ammar, triggering protests armed young men and were dragged screaming soon screamed, her voice his house, Khaled said he
and a sit-in outside the teens, some as young as from their homes. reverberating through the and other neighbors fought
Sweida governorate build- 14, patrolled the streets. Word of the attack spread open window. The militants and killed as many IS mili-
ing by relatives enraged at Some wore military uni- in the villages of Shbiki, Sh- threw a grenade in her di- tants as they could. He suf-
the lack of progress in ne- forms, others the traditional reihi and Rami as neighbors rection. fered two gunshot wounds
gotiations to free them. black baggy pants and called one another to warn Her husband climbed onto in his thigh. But there was
It's a stark change for a white caps worn by Druze of the militant rampage. A the roof of their home and no time to grieve.q