Syria PM censures massacre of Hama civilians by militants

The Syrian prime minister has sharply condemned the “heinous” massacre of civilians by Takfiri terrorists in a town in the west-central province of Hama, urging global support for Damascus’ fight against terror.

Wael al-Halqi made the comments after police officials in Hama Province said Takfiri terror groups had infiltrated the town of al-Zara, killing an unspecified number of civilians and taking several women and children captive.

“The terrorist groups infiltrated into al-Zara town and committed a massacre against its locals, as they abducted a number of children and women,” Syria’s official news agency SANA quoted a local police source as saying.

According to the police official, the Takfiri militants rampaged through the town, destroying houses and looting the residents’ property.

In a press statement following the militant raid, the Syrian premier called on the local officials in Hama to mobilize all health facilities to treat those injured in the terrorist attack.

He also described the carnage as “a heinous crime against the whole world.”

The international community should support Syria in its battles against terrorism and help prevent the flow of arms and money to the Takfiri militants from their foreign sponsors, particularly Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Halqi added.

The senior official further reaffirmed the Syrian nation’s will to eliminate terrorism, adding that “terrorist acts will not prevent the Syrians from continuing the process of reconstruction.”

Also on Thursday, SANA reported that army forces had repelled a militant attack on a military post in the direction of Khirbet al-Naqous village, located some 90 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital Hama, a day earlier.

According to the report, a number of terrorists were killed in the ensuing clashes. Syrian soldiers also destroyed several vehicles loaded with ammunitions.

Such acts of terror come against the backdrop of Syrian army gains against Takfiri terrorists on several fronts across Syria.

Over 400,000 people have reportedly been killed in the foreign-backed crisis that erupted in Syria in 2011.

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