Battle of Yarmouk Camp (December 2012)
Battle of Yarmouk Camp (December 2012) | |||||||
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Part of the Syrian civil war and the Rif Dimashq offensive (November 2012 – February 2013) | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Free Syrian Army Liwa al-Asifa (Palestinian militia)[1] |
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Unknown | Ahmed Jibril (PFLP-GC leader)[4] | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Unknown | Popular Committee-Yarmouk Refugee Camp | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | 4 killed | ||||||
23 civilians killed |
The Battle of Yarmouk Camp (December 2012) was a period of fierce clashes in Yarmouk Camp during the
Background
At the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) was based in Yarmouk and supported Syria's Ba'ath Party government led by the Al-Assad family. At the beginning of the war, tensions arose in Yarmouk between the PFLP-GC and anti-Assad Palestinian residents. On 5 June 2011, a number of Yarmouk residents were shot dead while protesting at the Israeli border. Allegedly angered by the PFLP-GC's refusal to take part in the protests, thousands of mourners burnt down its headquarters in Yarmouk. PFLP-GC members allegedly opened fire on the crowd, killing 14 Palestinians and wounding 43, although this was denied by the group, which blamed Fatah elements inside the camp for the clashes.[6][7][8]
On 3 August 2012, Al Arabiya reported that over 21 civilians were killed when the Syrian Army shelled Yarmouk.[9] Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Syrian Army for shelling the camp and chided the PFLP-GC for dragging Palestinians into the conflict.[5]
On 31 October, the FSA announced that they had helped form a brigade made up of anti-Assad Palestinians, called Liwa al-Asifa (Storm Brigade), who have been armed to take control of Yarmouk. The PFLP-GC leader Ahmed Jibril and his men were accused of harassing Yarmouk's residents and attacking FSA fighters.[10] Many Palestinian men from the camp also joined other FSA units and fought with them in the Damascus districts of Tadamon and Al-Hajar Al-Aswad.[11]
December clashes
Fierce fighting in Yarmouk began on 5 December 2012[12] and lasted until 17 December. The fighting mainly involved the FSA (along with the Liwa al-Asifa brigade) fighting against the PLFP-GC.
On 16 December, Syrian Army jets bombed Yarmouk, for the first time since the civil war began. Activists reported that a school and mosque sheltering refugees were hit.
On 17 December, it was claimed that many PFLP-GC fighters defected to the rebels. One PFLP-GC commander said "I felt that we became soldiers for the Assad regime, not guards for the camps, so I decided to defect". He claimed that government forces stood by and watched as the PFLP-GC fought the rebels, without helping the Palestinians.
On 20 December, the FSA said it had pushed all pro-government fighters out of Yarmouk and handed it back to the Palestinians. The day before, fresh fighting on the outskirts of Yarmouk killed a civilian and four PFLP-GC members.[22]
Shortly after, government and rebel representatives agreed that all armed groups should withdraw from Yarmouk and leave it as a neutral zone. The agreement also said that the PFLP-GC should be dismantled and its weapons surrendered. However, a spokesman for the pro-rebel Palestine Refugee Camp Network said, "the implementation of the truce has been problematic" because of "intermittent" government shelling of Yarmouk and clashes on its outskirts.[23] An AFP reporter at Batikha, the main entrance to the camp, reported sporadic shooting on 21 December but no gunmen were seen on the streets of Yarmouk.[24][25]
Aftermath
Fellow Palestinian left-wing groups—including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the biggest Palestinian leftist group—berated Jibril and the PFLP-GC.[26] One PFLP official said "Everyone knows the true size of PFLP-GC. They are not representative of the Palestinians". Another said that Jibril "does not even belong to the Palestinian Left. He is closer to the extremist right-wing groups than to revolutionary leftist ones".[26] On 18 December, the Palestinian National Council (PNC) denounced Jibril, saying it would expel him over his role in the conflict.[27]
On 25 December there was reportedly fighting in or around Yarmouk between rebels and the pro-government
The UNRWA reported that 12 people were killed and 20 wounded during fighting in Yarmouk on 17 January 2013.[29]
By January 2014, FSA and Liwa al-Asifa controlled 75% of the refugee camp, while the other 25% was controlled by the Syrian Army and the PFLP-GC.[30] The situation had become desperate. "The regime forces won't remove the siege on the camp as long as the militants are staying in it" a pro-Assad Palestinian official, Husam Arafat said. Palestinians in the West Bank have been running a campaign to raise awareness of the siege. "History will curse us if you allow Yarmouk's people to die of hunger," one sign read.[31]
References
- ^ Jerusalem Post. "The PFLP-GC have accused the Liwa al-Asifa of trying to stir up trouble within the Palestinian refugee community in Yarmouk, while Syrian rebels have accused the PFLP-GC of stifling Palestinian dissent against Assad." [1]
- ^ a b c d "Syria: Armed Opposition Takes Yarmouk Refugee Camp". Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
- ^ AFP (17 December 2012). "Syria hits back at UN over Palestinian refugees". Syria. NOW. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ^ "Corrections and clarifications". The Guardian. London. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ^ a b "AFP: Syria rebels 'clash with army, Palestinian fighters'". Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ^ "Ahmed Jibril's organization (PFLP-GC) blamed the PA, Fatah, and Saudi Arabia for the violent clashes in Al-Yarmuk refugee camp". The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 14 June 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "Report: 14 Palestinians killed in Syria camp" Archived 29 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Ma'an News Agency, 8 June 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ^ "Mass shooting reported in Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Syria – video". The Electronic Intifada, 6 June 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ^ "At least 21 killed in shelling on Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Syria: NGO" Archived 20 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Al Arabiya, 3 August 2012.
- ^ "Rebels form a brigade in Damascus to fight armed Palestinians aligned with President Assad". Al Jazeera Blogs. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "Palestinians join Syria revolt: activists, FSA". The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Syrian fighter jets bomb Palestinian camp in Damascus-activists". Reuters. 16 December 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ "Syrian planes hit Yarmouk mosque killing dozens". euronews. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ The Guardian 18 December 2012 Palestinians flee to Lebanon after jet bombs Syria's largest refugee camp
- ^ "Fars News Agency :: Syrian Rebels Target al-Yarmouk Camp, Kill Dozens of Civilians". Archived from the original on 17 December 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ^ "A Syrian Airstrike Kills Palestinian Refugees and Costs Assad Support". The New York Times. 17 December 2012.
- ^ "Palestinian faction leader Jibril leaves Damascus: rebels". Reuters. 15 December 2012. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ Karouny, Mariam (17 December 2012). "WRAPUP 1-Syrian rebels take control of Damascus Palestinian camp". Reuters. Archived from the original on 18 December 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ^ "Syria rebels make further gains". BBC News. 18 December 2012.
- ^ "Syrian forces surround Palestinian camp". Al Jazeera English. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ^ "FSA says it handed Damascus camp back to Palestinians". Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
- ^ "Syrian fight now 'overtly sectarian,' U.N. says". CNN, 20 December 2012.
- ^ ""Nous rentrons car nous en avons assez d'être humiliés"". L'Orient-Le Jour. 21 December 2012. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ (in French)[2] Archived 10 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "PFLP on Defense in Gaza Over Ties to Assad" Archived 16 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Al-Monitor, 27 December 2012.
- ^ "Ahmad Jibril to be expelled from the PLO" Archived 19 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Al Akhbar (Lebanon), 18 December 2012.
- ^ "Violents combats dans le camp palestinien de Yarmouk à Damas". L'Orient-Le Jour. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- Daily Star (Lebanon). 18 January 2013. Archived from the originalon 11 October 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
- ^ Damascus: Yarmouk Starves as Relief Convoys Attacked Archived 10 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine Al Akhbar, 13 January 2014
- ^ "Hunger, death in besieged camp near Damascus".