ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An elderly Kurdish couple was tragically killed inside their home in Damascus earlier this week, their son told Rudaw on Thursday.
Hussein Hassan, 75, and his wife, Atiya Ahmad, 65, were shot dead after breaking their Ramadan fast in the evening, according to their son, Hamada Hussein.
"My parents lived alone in Damascus for nearly 50 years, but I had moved back to Western Kurdistan [northeast Syria, Rojava] 11 years ago," Hussein said, adding that both his parents were “shot in the head five times,” dying instantly.
The assailants stole gold, money, and decorative items before fleeing, the son detailed, adding that Damascus security forces are investigating the incident, but no motive has been clarified as of yet.
"We visited his son and asked why his father did not show up today. He said that he did not know. I asked him to accompany me, but he sent his young son. After nearly ten minutes, the son came back with the news that his grandfather had been murdered. We went and saw the scene. They were both killed. We initially though they experience a stroke but later found bullets on the ground," an eyewitness told Rudaw.
Abu Mohammed is a neighbor of the murdered couple.
"When we were notified about the killing last night, we accompanied the general security patrols in the region and initiated our investigation. We transferred the bodies [of the victims] to the hospital. Our investigation is ongoing. We took his [victims’ son] testimony and examined the [crime] scene, documenting it in detail and we found the shell casings of six bullets shot by an 8.5-millimeter gun," he said.
The international community has expressed concern over recent deadly incidents in Syria. The European Union’s Foreign Policy Chief, Kaja Kallas, recently urged Syria’s new leadership to “ensure the protection of all civilians and minorities.”
Updated at 11:35 with more sources
