Kafriya
Kafriya (Arabic: كفريا, also spelled Kifarya or Kefraya) is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Idlib Governorate, located northwest of Idlib. Nearby localities include Maarrat Misrin to the north, Zardana to the northeast, Taftanaz to the east and al-Fu'ah and Binnish to the immediate south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Kafriya had a population of 4,404 in the 2004 census.[1] Like nearby al-Fu'ah, Kafriya's inhabitants were predominantly Shia Muslims, while the surrounding areas are predominantly Sunni Muslim.[2]
Kafriya كفريا | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Kafriya | |
| Coordinates: 35°59′23″N 36°40′39″E | |
| Country |  |
| Governorate | Idlib |
| District | Idlib |
| Subdistrict | Ma'arrat Misrin |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
| • Total | 4,404 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Syrian Civil War
During the Syrian Civil War the village was placed under siege by rebels, and on 11 January 2016 the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Food Programme organised an aid convoy to deliver food, medicine and other aid to the village and the nearby town Al-Fu'ah.[3]
On 19 July 2018, residents of Kafriya and Fua and government fighters stationed in the two besieged towns were evacuated by buses to government-controlled Aleppo under an agreement between Iran, the Syrian government, and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, with Turkey as a mediator. Following the evacuation, the emptied towns were declared a military zone by HTS.[4]
During the evacuation process, a terrorist attack on the convey of buses awaiting admission into government-held territories occurred, after which 126 people, including 68 children were killed.[5]
References
- General Census of Population and Housing 2004 Archived 2013-02-06 at the Wayback Machine. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Idlib Governorate. Archived at . (in Arabic)
- Hubbard, Ben. Rebel-held Syrian town struggles to keep the peace. Associated Press. 2012-06-25.
- Kareem Shaheen (11 January 2016). "Trucks from aid convoy enter besieged Syrian town of Madaya". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- "Rebel siege of two Shiite-majority Idlib towns ends with total evacuation of residents, militiamen". Syria Direct. 19 July 2018.
- "Syria war: 'At least 68 children among 126 killed' in bus bombing". BBC News Online. 16 April 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
