Syrian Coalition: Al Harra Massacre Reflects the Regime’s Vengeful Mentality

Mohammed Qaddah, vice president of the Syrian Coalition, described the massacre committed by regime forces today in the town of Al Harra in rural Dara’a as a “vengeful retaliation to the fall of the town to rebels who inflicted heavy losses on regime forces that were stationed in the town.” Activists said that 18 civilians at least were killed and dozens wounded in barrel bomb attacks and rocket shelling on the town. “The massacre came few days after the FSA’s capture of the strategic Al Harra hilltop and the nearby town.” The Syrian Coalition said earlier that the FSA’s capture of Al Harra is a major landmark in the course of the Syrian revolution, features the popular revolution on the ground, calling on the international community to shoulder its responsibility and save Syrian civilians from the terrorism of the Assad regime through the imposition of a no-fly to neutralize Assad’s air force and put an end to the barrel bomb attack on civilians. Qaddah calls on all medical staff in the vicinity of Al Harra to rush to the town and set up medical centers to treat the injured. Nasr al-Hariri, Secretary General of the Syrian Coalition, criticizes the hesitation of world decision-makers to establish a buffer zone in northern Syria, saying that “even in the case of the materialization of this proposal, it would still fall short of the demands and the needs of the Syrian people. Both the buffer zone and the no-fly zone, if they materialized, would set the stage for toppling the Assad regime and the creation of the state of justice and law.” Hariri’s remarks were made amid mixed signals by the international community towards Turkey’s calls for establishing a buffer zone and a no-fly zone to protect civilians inside Syria and as a prerequisite to join the anti-ISIS coalition. Britain and France declared their support for this move. (Source: Syrian Coalition)