On instructions from my Government, and further to my letter dated 14 May 2016, containing information on the bloody massacre committed by armed terrorist groups against peaceable civilian residents of the town of Zarah in Hama governorate (S/2016/448), I should like to draw your attention to the following:

On 12 May 2016, at 4 o’clock in the morning, armed terrorist groups under the banner of the so-called Northern Homs Countryside Operations Room, which is deployed throughout the Homs governorate countryside, attacked the village of Zarah, which is located near Rastan Lake in the Hama governorate countryside.

In the course of their attack, the terrorists used various types of light and medium weapons, including 23 mm artillery, 14.5 mm machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, rocket shells, automatic rifles and sniper rifles. They wore identical camouflage cloth masks so that they could identify each other during the attack.

After gaining control of the village, the terrorists perpetrated a bloody massacre against peaceable civilian residents. They slaughtered and murdered villagers — including children, women, the elderly and the sick — while they were asleep with their families, and mutilated the bodies with blood-curdling barbarity. The terrorists then removed children, women and the elderly from the village, throwing some of them in the lake and taking others away to an unknown location.

Information suggests that the terrorist attack against the village was timed to coincide with the national reconciliation meeting being held in the town of Jarjisah in the southern Hama countryside. That meeting reflected a relaxation of tensions among the townspeople that might have contributed to a positive atmosphere in neighbouring towns and villages, and the terrorists were afraid that the national reconciliation process would spread to other towns and villages in the southern Hama countryside. Please find annexed a list of the names of the dead and missing (see annex).

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter and its annex issued as a document of the Security Council.

Civilians killed

1. Ali Muhammad al-Qasim, mother’s name Fatimah, born 1962

2. Hasan Ali al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Muntaha, born 1947

3. I‘tidal Hasan al-Ra‘i, age 44

4. Nawal Hasan al-Ra‘i, age 46.

5. Ibrahim al-Ra‘i bin Sulayman, mother’s name Sharifah, age 42

6. Rana Subrah, age 35

7. Ahmad Yasin al-Sha‘ban, age 23

Civilians missing

Some 130 civilians ranging in age from 1 to 90 are missing, including the following:

1. Ruzah Hasan al-Ra‘i, 40

2. Fawzah Hasan al-Ra‘i, age 42

3. Badriyah Hasan al-Ra‘i, age 38

4. Ali Sami al-Ra‘i, age 3

5. Fadiya al-Ra‘i

6. Naya Sami al-Ra‘i, age 5

7. Nur Sami al-Ra‘i, age 2

8. Aliya al-Ra‘i bint Muhammad, mother’s name Zarifah, age 90

9. Shama al-Ra‘i bint Muhammad, mother’s name Zarifah age 70

10. Mahmud al-Ra‘i bin Muhammad, mother’s name Zarifah age 90

11. Samir Sulayman al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Sharifah, age 29

12. Hind Ali al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Muntaha, age 47

13. Husayn Khidr al-As‘ad, mother’s name Adibah, age 36

14. Khidr Mahraz al-Ra‘i, age 80

15. Yusuf al-Ra‘i bin Husayn, mother’s name Raya, age 47

16. Ala al-Ra‘i bin Yusuf, mother’s name Ruzah, age 25

17. Marwah al-Ra‘i bint Yusuf, mother’s name Hayah, age 22

18. Maya al-Ra‘i bint Yusuf, mother’s name Hayah, age 13

19. Farah al-Ra‘i bint Yusuf, mother’s name Hayah, age 5

20. Fatah Imran bint Rizq, age 70

21. Zamya Diyab Sulayman, age 40

22. Samiyah Ali al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Muntaha, age 50

23. Suham Ali al-Ra‘i, age 45

24. Mariya al-Ra‘i bint Muhammad, mother’s name Salma, age 28

25. Ruzah al-Ra‘i bint Isa, mother’s name Na’ifah, age 46

26. Hayah al-Ra‘i bint Sulayman, mother’s name Sharifah, age 46

27. Marah Yusuf al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Hayah, age 17

28. Maram al-Ra‘i bint Yusuf, mother’s name Hayah, age 7

29. Khidr al-Ali bin Muharram, mother’s name Fatum, age 78

30. Husayn Ali al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Muntaha, age 50

31. Zabiyah, wife of Husayn Ali al-Ra‘i

32. Ilham Ali al-Ra‘i, age 43

33. Muna Khaluf, age 40

34. Shamsah Muhammad al-Ra‘i, age 80

35. Marah Husayn al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Zabiyah, age 17

36. Thuna Sintir bint Ahmad, mother’s name Salimah, age 35

37. Ja‘far Ahmad al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Thuna, age 12

38. Nuh Ahmad al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Thuna, age 7

39. Zahra Ahmad al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Thuna, age 6

40. Zaynab Ahmad al-Ra‘i, age 10

41. Muna, wife of Ahmad al-Ra‘i, age 42

42. Arij Husayn al-Ra‘i, age 25

43. Dhu al-Fiqar Ahmad al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Muna, age 11

44. Ya‘qub Ahmad al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Muna, age 9

45. Athibah Ahmad al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Muna, age 17

46. Ayah Ahmad al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Muna, age 14

47. Barra’ah Ahmad al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Muna, age 13

48. Muntaha Ahmad al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Muna, age 12

49. Ramiya Muhammad al-Ra‘i, age 30

50. Zaynah Sabri, mother’s name Rukniyah, age 39

51. Ghadir Yusuf Sha‘ban, mother’s name Zaynah, age 18

52. Juliya Yusuf Sha‘ban, mother’s name Zaynah, age 13

53. Ghayth Yusuf Sha‘ban, mother’s name Zaynah, age 12

54. Layth Yusuf Sha‘ban, mother’s name Zaynah, age 9

55. Ibrahim Sulayman Sha‘ban, age 69

56. Shamsah Shahud al-Qasim, mother’s name Aydah, age 64

57. Rasmiyah Sulayman Sha‘ban, mother’s name Shamsah, age 52

58. Azizah Hasan al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Nawal, age 20

59. Aminah Qantar, age 50

60. Ali Hasan al-Ra‘i, age 90

61. Shamus Muhammad As‘ad, age 81

Civilians injured

1. Musa Shahadah al-Ali, mother’s name Rasmiyah, born 1977 in Alamayn, Hama

2. Abdu Imad Khalifah, mother’s name Aliyah, born 1980 in Zarah, Hama

3. Muhammad Ali al-Ra‘i, mother’s name Muntaha, born 1949 in Zarah

4. Isma‘il Ali al-Qasim, mother’s name Randa, born 2000 in Zarah

5. Zaynab Ali al-Qasim, mother’s name Randa, born 1996 in Zarah

6. Khidr Sa‘id al-Ahmad, age 55

7. Majd Tawfiq al-Salih

Bashar Ja’afari