On Saturday, unknown militants killed seven members of the White Helmets during a raid on their center in Sarmin town in the southern Idlib countryside, according to opposition sources.
The attackers allegedly used 9-mm pistols equipped with silencers during the attack.
An official statement of the White Helmets confirmed that Ziad Hasan Qadhnoun, Bassil Mustafa Qassas, Mohammed Shabib, Abdul Razaq Hassan Haj Khalil, Mohammed Deeb Alhir, Mohammed Karumah and Obaidah al-Dwan were killed in the attack.
صور من عملية دفن عناصر “الدفاع المدني” الذين قتلوا على يد مجهولين في سرمين pic.twitter.com/2KKVC6ssXp
— Hassan Ridha (@sayed_ridha) 12 August 2017
The assailants stole some helmets, Tow-Way radio sets and two minibuses from the center after they killed the seven volunteers, according to the White Helmets official statement.
A van stolen from Sarmin found burnt in countryside pic.twitter.com/2qEffhpbGl
— Hassan Ridha (@sayed_ridha) 12 August 2017
One of the stolen minibuses was found burned in the countryside of Sarmin town, which may mean that the real aim of the assailants was not theft.
No side has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. However, ISIS is believed to be behind the attack. Sarmin is considered an ISIS stronghold in Idlib province. In turn, the White Helmets are key partners of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that launched a security campaign against ISIS in Idlib, including Sarmin town itself last month.
Opposition activists said that HTS was responsible for the incident because it had not deployed any security in the town after the group captured it from the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
