Al-Zahraa
| Al-Zahraa الزهراء | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
  Al-Zahraa | |
| Coordinates: 36°21′30.9″N 37°00′38.4″E / 36.358583°N 37.010667°E | |
| Country |
 Syria |
| Governorate | Aleppo Governorate |
| District | A'zaz District |
| Nahiyah | Nubl |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
| • Total | 13,780 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Al-Zahraa (Arabic: الزهراء) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the A'zaz District of Aleppo Governorate, located northwest of Aleppo. Nearby localities include Tell Rifaat and Mayer to the northeast and Anadan to the south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Al-Zahraa had a population of 13,780 in the 2004 census.[1]
Syrian civil war
Al-Zahraa has a predominantly Shia Muslim population and along with nearby Nubl, forms a small Shia-inhabited pocket in a mostly Sunni Muslim area in the Aleppo Governorate. Al-Zahraa and Nubl have been placed under siege by the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) starting in July 2012. Although relations between the inhabitants of al-Zahraa and the surrounding villages were normally friendly, during the ongoing Syrian civil war, anti-government supporters from nearby Sunni villages have claimed that al-Zahraa and Nubl hosted pro-government militias that have launched attacks against opposition supporters.[2][3] After months of rebel siege and continuous reciprocal kidnappings, popular committees in the two towns agreed to begin negotiations with Sunni rebels on 27 March 2013. The agreement to negotiate was organised by Kurdish parties from the neighbouring Kurd Dagh region, which is controlled by Kurdish separatists of the PYD. The talks were to be brokered by Kurds, and several kidnapped individuals had been freed on both sides.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Aleppo Governorate. (Arabic)
- ↑ Hendawi, Hamza. In Syria, Sunni rebels besiege Shiite villages. Yahoo News. Originally published by Associated Press. 2012-10-18,
- ↑ Landis, Joshua. Clinton Helps Shape New Syrian Gov in Exile Syria Comment. 2012-11-01.
- ↑ AFP (27 March 2013). "Syria Kurds help Shiite, Sunni fighters negotiate". NOW. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
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