Hatla massacre

Hatla massacre
Part of the Syrian civil war
Location	Hatla, Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria
Date	11 June 2013 (2013-06-11)
Attack type	Massacre
Deaths	30–60
Victim	Shia villagers
Motive	Sectarian

The Hatla massacre was the killing of 60 Shia villagers, including some who were armed, conducted by Syrian opposition fighters in the eastern Syrian village of Hatla, near Deir ez-Zor, on 11 June 2013 during the Syrian Civil War. At least 30 of the dead were civilians. According to a UN report, 30 people were killed.

A video posted online on 11 June, entitled "The storming and cleansing of Hatla", showed fighters waving the black Salafi flag and celebrating. The language used in the videos is sectarian. "This is the Shia, this is the Shia carcass, this is their end," the cameraman says. That video "indicates those responsible were non-Syrians, possibly from Kuwait." According to a Facebook page of Islamist activists from the area, members of the Free Syrian Army and the Islamic extremist Al-Nusra Front rebel groups were involved.

According to opposition activists, most of the dead were pro-government fighters but civilians were killed as well, including women and children. Three Shia clerics were also among the dead. Reports said that 30 civilians were killed. Syrian opposition forces also burned civilian houses and a Shia mosque during the takeover. 10 rebel fighters were killed during the attack. 150 Shia residents fled to the nearby government-held village of Jafra.

The incident may be seen as underlining 'the distorting of the Revolution's image by the Syrian'.