Kafriya ( ar, كفريا, also spelled Kifarya or Kefraya) is a village in northern

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, administratively part of the

Idlib Governorate Idlib Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة ادلب / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Idlib'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay province to the north, Aleppo Governorate to the east, Hama ...

, located northwest of

Idlib ar, إدلبي, Idlibi , coordinates = , elevation_m = 500 , area_code = 23 , geocode = C3871 , blank_name = Climate , blank_info ...

. Nearby localities include Maarrat Misrin to the north, Zardana to the northeast, Taftanaz to the east and al-Fu'ah and

Binnish Binnish ( ar, بِنِّش, Binniš, also spelled Binsh) is a city in northwestern Syria, administratively belonging to the Idlib Governorate, located just north of Idlib. Nearby localities include Kafriya and Maarrat Misrin to the northwest, al ...

to the immediate south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Kafriya had a population of 4,404 in the 2004 census.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Idlib Governorate. Archived a

Like nearby al-Fu'ah, Kafriya's inhabitants were predominantly Shia Islam, Shia Muslims, while the surrounding areas are predominantly

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagree ...

.Hubbard, Ben
Rebel-held Syrian town struggles to keep the peace
'' Associated Press''. 2012-06-25.

Syrian Civil War

During the Syrian Civil War the village was placed under siege by rebels, and on 11 January 2016 the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Food Programme organised an aid convoy to deliver food, medicine and other aid to the village and the nearby town Al-Fu'ah. On 19 July 2018, residents of Kafriya and Fua and government fighters stationed in the two besieged towns were evacuated by buses to government-controlled

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

under an agreement between Iran, the Syrian government, and

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) (, transliteration: ', "Organization for the Liberation of the Levant" or "Levant Liberation Committee"), commonly referred to as Tahrir al-Sham, is a Sunni Islamist political and armed organisation involved in the ...

, with Turkey as a mediator. Following the evacuation, the emptied towns were declared a military zone by HTS. During the evacuation process, a terrorist attack on the convey of buses awaiting admission into government-held territories occurred, after which 126 people, including 68 children were killed.

References

{{Idlib Governorate, idlib Populated places in Idlib District Shia Muslim communities in Syria