In the aftermath of a massive attack launched by government forces and shabiha on Qal’et al Hussen in the western suburbs of Homs, which left more than 72 people dead, two sectarian massacres took place during this three-day blitzkrieg. The first one was the slaughter of the entire family of the college professor, Ahlam Ali Emad. The second one took place when Syrian regime security forces and shabiha killed all the passengers on a bus, including women and children, as they were attempting to flee regime shelling in Qal’et al Hussen.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights’ team in Homs was able to document the deaths of ten citizens in this massacre, including two children and three women.
When residents of the area displaced by the regime bombing fled for their lives, Assad’s forces intercepted one of the buses carrying the displaced people, massacring all the passengers on board, including two children and three women, bringing the number of martyrs from Qal’et al Hussen in recent days to 22. Ten of these victims have been positively identified as: