The songbird of the Syrian revolution, Abdul Baset Sarout, was killed on 8 June while fighting against forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. A totemic figure within the rebel movement, Sarout died from injuries sustained while fighting with Jaish al-Izza (“Army of Glory”), an affiliate of the Free Syrian Army. Sarout first achieved fame during the incipient phases of the uprising when he began singing at street protests in his hometown of Homs, the epicentre of the 2011 uprising. Sarout quickly established himself as a revolutionary leader in Homs, often appearing alongside the Syrian actress Fadwa Suleiman. In those early days, we witnessed the emergence of an authentically Syrian movement that cut across political, religious and ethnic lines.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 19, 2019 15:22 UTC