The Bleeding Valley

Yesterday, I visited Al-Nadarah valley, that spot of land which has ever been a place for freshness, joy, celebrations and festivals that attract Syrians nationwide to enjoy the charming nature. However, the Valley area has been turned into a hell at the hands of the foreign and regionally-backed armed terrorist groups and mercenaries who have been fighting the Syrian state for more than two years.  

August, in al-Nadara Valley, was known to be the month of holding various nature and tourist festivals in the castle and the valley region, but this year it has changed to be the month of death, terror and bloodshed. Women in the area have dressed in black instead of the colors of joy and happiness, because they lost their sons in this mad global war against the country.

 Death came from the castle, the Krak des Chevaliers, which used to carry love and protection for the valley over centuries. Terrorism comes to replace joy with pain and to spread sorrow all over the happy valley.

I heard a lot of horrible details about the massacre which was committed by terrorists at one of the valley nights. I met the injured people, the bereaved mothers and the distressed fathers who told me how the armed terrorist groups have turned their joy into funerals and how young men and women are being killed for no reason except for their being Syrians.

A young man from Marmarita told me: “That night the people of the valley were holding a wedding in one of the valley’s hotels. At midnight, we heard heavy gunfire followed by people’s shouting that a large number of Jabhet al-Nousra terrorists have attacked them from the Krak des Chevaliers.”

“We contacted people from the National Defense Forces who assured us that a group of at least 300 terrorists has attacked three checkpoints for the national defense forces in the Valley region with the aim of destroying “al- Farouk checkpoint” and they managed to reach the checkpoint and kill all its personnel.

“The national defense forces succeeded to force out those terrorists who had committed their terrible massacre against a group of civilians, including women, workers and university students. Some of them were killed while trying to escape from the hotel and the others were killed while they were asleep at home,” he concluded.

The toll from the savage attack was five martyrs from the National Defense Forces and three civilians in addition to a large numbers of wounded people.

A doctor at the Marmarita clinic said:” When I heard about the clashes I rushed to the clinic and contacted with the medical and nursing staff as well as the surgery doctors informing them that I am in the infirmary and they have to come and give a helping hand.” Unfortunately, we could not reach the place of the attack because of heavy clashes. We were informed that the brave young men of the NDF managed to take injured people to al-Hoson Hospital and al- Bassel Hospital in Tartous.”

The father of martyr Soumar Yazigi, said: at the time of the massacre, my son was vacationing in the valley. He is a volunteer in National Defense Forces fighting with his friends in Khanasser in Idlib against the terrorist groups who have been killing innocent people and ravaging our dear country. That night Soumar was having dinner with a friend at a restaurant when he heard the sounds of the heavy gun fire and the clashes targeting the national Defense Forces checkpoint. He came quickly to the house, took his weapon and went ahead to support the checkpoint members, but he was martyred along with them in the assault”.

“Soumar was one of Syria’s young men who volunteered in the National Defense Forces after the end of their military service to confront the armed terrorist groups, starting from their strong belief that Syria is more important than their soul and that the nation’s survival is the highest target,” the father said.

He added “Soumar has chosen martyrdom which is the only means to save the nation’s pride and dignity.”

“By his martyrdom, Soumar has proved to the entire world that our principles are firm and our Syria is the most important and the most sublime of all,” the hero’s father stressed.

Amal Farhat