‘Revolution Icon’ Abdul Basset al-Sarout died of wounds sustained in Hama battles
Abdul Basset al-Sarout, a Syrian revolution Icon, vocal supporter and former football soccer, has died of wounds sustained Friday in clashes with regime forces in northwestern Hama province, rebel commander confirmed to Zamal al-Wasl.
Captain Mustapha Ma’arrati, spokesman for Jaish al-Izza, told Zaman al-Wasl in a phone call that al-Sarout had died as result to injuries sustained in Hama province during the battles against Bashar al-Assad’s forces and allied militias.
Al-Sarout who survived at least three assassination attempts, had moved from being a famous goalkeeper to be a leader of the Syrian revolution in the central city of Homs.
The fierce clashes between regime forces and rebels have left 83 combatants dead in northwestern Syria in the past 48 hours, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The clashes on the edge of Idlib region have killed 44 regime loyalists and 39 fighters since Thursday, the AFP reported.
The regime and its Russian ally have upped their bombardment of the region since late April, killing more than 300 civilians, according to the Observatory.
Syrian people kept in mind al-Sarout remarkable song when he kissed a murdered 19-year-old protester’s bloody head whilst a crowd chanted to the beat of a drum “Sleep easy we will continue the struggle… mothers weep for Syria’s youth”.
The war, which started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-regime demonstrations, has killed more than 560,000 people and displaced millions.