The civilian citizen Haidar Younes Mustafa, aged 58 and a member of the Murshidi sect, was killed on April 18, 2026, after being subjected to direct gunfire by an armed group in the northern countryside of Homs. This incident falls within a recurring pattern of targeting civilians in the region.
According to available information, the crime occurred at approximately 1:00 PM while the victim was inside his vehicle on the road connecting the villages of Kafr Nan and Al-Ghajar. Local sources reported that two gunmen riding a motorcycle approached the vehicle and fired three bullets directly at his head before fleeing via an agricultural road near the scene of the incident.
An eyewitness, a local shepherd, indicated that he saw the perpetrators approach the victim’s car, initiate gunfire, and then quickly withdraw from the site without being intercepted.
This incident gains additional gravity as the victim is the third member of the same family to be killed in less than a year under similar circumstances. His brother, Zahid Younes Mustafa, 66, a construction contractor, was killed; his body was discovered on November 30, 2025, in an area between the villages of Kafr Nan and Tasnin. Their third brother was also killed along with three other farmers on May 3, 2025, while they were working on their agricultural land.
In a related context, the region has also witnessed the killing of other civilians, including Amjad Rakan Al-Suwaid, who was killed on September 27, 2025, inside his car in the village of Tasnin while transporting bread for distribution to his fellow villagers.
The killing of seven civilians from the village of Kafr Nan within only a few months raises serious concerns regarding the deteriorating security situation and the continued phenomenon of uncontrolled proliferation of weapons, in addition to the absence of effective measures to protect civilians and prevent the recurrence of such crimes.
Furthermore, the targeted family’s affiliation with the Murshidi sect raises suspicions regarding potential sectarian motives behind these crimes, particularly in light of the increasing incidents of violence targeting civilians on the basis of religious or sectarian identity in several Syrian regions.
This incident occurs within a broader context of escalating gross human rights violations in Syria, including extrajudicial killings and the targeting of civilians, amidst the ongoing conflict and deteriorating security conditions. Field data indicates a growth in patterns of violence linked to discriminatory or sectarian backgrounds.
The persistence of these violations in the absence of legal accountability reinforces a climate of impunity and undermines efforts aimed at achieving justice and ensuring the protection of human rights. This necessitates urgent action by relevant authorities to put an end to these crimes and hold those responsible accountable.
