On the evening of Saturday, 20 September, forces affiliated with the interim government in Damascus carried out an attack in Deir Hafer countryside, killing 7 civilians.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that the statement issued by the Media and Communications Department of the Ministry of Defense regarding the massacre committed by armed factions affiliated with the Damascus government against civilians in the village of Umm Tina, in the Deir Hafer countryside, is nothing more than a blatant attempt to evade responsibility. It lacks any military or political logic, and it cannot alter the established facts on the ground, SDF added.
“This weak narrative reflects the Ministry of Defense’s confusion as it attempts to cover up the repeated crimes and attacks carried out by its factions. It is not only an act of media deflection, but rather a flagrant disregard for the lives of Syrian civilians and for the victims’ right to see those criminals held accountable. Such denial is part of a systematic policy pursued by the Ministry of Defense, which treats Syrian lives as expendable so long as the truth can be concealed,” said the SDF statement on Sunday.
SDF reported that seven civilians were killed in the attack, including children between the ages of one and four, as well as elderly women in their seventies. Four others were injured in the artillery shelling carried out by the Damascus government’s armed groups on the night of September 20. “We have publicly released the names and ages of the victims, while the Ministry of Defense attempts to participate in the crime twice—once through artillery fire, and again through denial and evasion.”
SDF stated that they hold the Damascus government fully responsible for this massacre, which has been documented with names, and called upon it to rein in its unruly factions and to engage in a peaceful process that prioritizes the lives and security of Syrians over political and military agendas.