Acts of criminality in the form of kidnappings and thefts have unfortunately become more commonplace in Syria with the deterioration in economy and livelihood across all areas. Previously I documented the life of Shadi, a martyr from the village of Kaftin in the Jabal al-Summaq area of north Idlib countryside. He was kidnapped and murdered by a gang more than two years ago. Regrettably, a somewhat similar case of criminality has emerged in the village of Kukku in the Jabal al-Summaq area, involving the killing of a local called Mansur Hajiz and his wife.
The village of Kukku is considered to be one of the mountain villages in the Jabal al-Summaq area (in contrast with Kaftin which is located on the plain). Kukku's main families are:
. Hajiz
. Shaheen
. al-Saleh
One of the more well-known personalities from Kukku is Dr. Izzat Shaheen, who works in the socials sciences department of Damascus University.
Previously, there was a presence of the al-Qa'ida-loyalist group Hurras al-Din in the area of Kukku, but the group was evicted from the area following Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's defeat of the 'So Be Steadfast' operations room of jihadist factions in the infighting last year.
The martyr Mansur was around 60 years old. He was from the village of Kukku while his wife (who was also martyred) was from the village of Arsheen of the Jabal al-Summaq area. Previously, Mansur had worked as a teacher, but with the absence of the Syrian state, he instead worked in agriculture. Like some other original inhabitants of the Jabal al-Summaq area, the martyr Mansur chose to stay in his land so that it would not be confiscated. However, he also cared deeply for his three children (two boys and one girl). He sold some of his lands to pay for their education and they currently study outside the Jabal al-Summaq area.
The circumstances of the martyrdom of Mansur and his wife were that they were returning to their house and found a thief in the home. The thief then proceeded to kill both Mansur and his wife, firing eight bullets at the wife and three bullets at Mansur.
This is the life of the martyr Mansur in summary. We can only hope that the perpetrator will be caught and held to account for this crime.