Asilah (Arabic: أصيلة, also spelled Asileh and Asila) is a village in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located west of Hama. Nearby localities include Khunayzir and Mhardeh to the northeast, Maarzaf to the east, Umm al-Tuyur to the southeast, Deir al-Salib to the south, Hanjur to the southwest, Jubb Ramlah to the west, Tell Salhab to the northwest and Safsafiyah to the north. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Asilah had a population of 5,790 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Alawites.[2]

Asilah
أصيلة
Asileh
Village
Asilah is located in Syria
Asilah
Asilah
Location in Syria
Coordinates: 35°11′49″N 36°29′20″E / 35.19694°N 36.48889°E / 35.19694; 36.48889
Country Syria
GovernorateHama
DistrictMasyaf
SubdistrictJubb Ramlah
Population
 (2004)
 • Total5,790
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Syrian Civil War

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In March of 2012, five villagers were killed by opposition gunmen and a teacher kidnapped, after it's residents were accused of taking part in government military operations against the neighboring village of Halfaya.[3] In retaliation, militiamen from the village are widely believed to have taken part in the Al-Qubeir massacre in conjunction with the Syrian Army.[2][3] Three more villagers were killed on September 6, 2017, after it was shelled by Jaysh al-Izza members, who accused residents of taking part in the killing of eleven civilians in the nearby village of Maarzaf.[4]

References

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  1. ^ General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Hama Governorate. (in Arabic)
  2. ^ a b Dagher, Sam (9 June 2012). "U.N. Reaches Site of Syria Massacre". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b Bishara, Azmi (1 December 2022). Syria 2011-2013: Revolution and Tyranny before the Mayhem. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 178. ISBN 9780755645442.
  4. ^ "As a result of Al-Hawat massacre against 11 citizens … The factions renew their targeting to areas controlled by the regime forces in the western countryside of Hama". SOHR. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2024.