Abdul Baset al-Sarout

Abdul Baset al-Sarout (Arabic: عبد الباسط الساروت‎; 2 January 1992 – 8 June 2019) was a Syrian association football goalkeeper. He represented his country at the Syria U17 and Syria U20 level. He was also a prominent rebel figure in the Syrian Civil War.

Abdul Baset al-Sarout
Sarout in Idlib on 18 March 2019
Born(1992-01-02)2 January 1992
Homs, Syria
Died8 June 2019(2019-06-08) (aged 27)
Reyhanlı, Turkey
Allegiance Syrian opposition
Jaysh al-Izza
Years of service2012–2019
Unit
Battles/warsSyrian Civil War
Association football career
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Years Team
?–2011 Al-Karamah
National team
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2008 Syria U17
2009–2010 Syria U20

Biography
Sarout (center with flag) during a pro-rebel demonstration in Kafr Nabl on 5 October 2018

In addition to being a soccer player, he led demonstrations in his hometown of Homs, where for a period of time he hosted the actress Fadwa Soliman, with whom he held[3] rallies demanding the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as well as other general demands of the Syrian uprising. As violence erupted between pro and antigovernmental groups, all four of his brothers were killed by Syrian security forces. His uncle, Mohiey Edden al-Sarout, was killed in November 2011 in Homs.[4] He became well known for his chants during anti-government demonstrations. Initially, his speeches and chants were mostly nationalist in nature, but in line with the rising influence of islamism among Syrian rebel groups, they gradually adopted more overtly religious and sectarian undertones.[5] During the Siege of Homs from 2011–14, he became a Syrian rebel commander.[6]

The Arab-speaking media network Al Jazeera described him as a "well known icon in the Syrian uprising",[7] as well as "the Guardian of the Revolution".[8][9] After the disintegration of the Free Syrian Army, he became a commander in the rebel group Jaysh al-Izza.[10][11]

Sarout survived at least three assassination attempts during his time as a rebel commander. During one attempt, 50 fighters from his unit, the Bayada Martyrs' Brigade, were killed.[1] He was featured in the 2013 war documentary The Return to Homs.[12]

In 2014, he was among the rebels evacuated from Homs to the rebel-held Idlib Governorate by the Syrian government, following the surrender deal that ended the Siege of Homs.[13][14]

In November 2015, Sarout and the Bayada Martyrs' Brigade came into conflict with the Al-Nusra Front. The Al-Nusra forces attacked Sarout and his fighters over a claim that Sarout had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[15] Sarout denied the claim, but admitted he had considered joining ISIL, as he started viewing the jihadist group as the only force capable of fighting the Syrian Government.[16] He stated that he gave up on joining the group after realizing that it was primarily concerned with setting up a caliphate, rather than fighting the government. He added that while he didn't join the militant group, he would also refuse to fight against it.[17]

On 29 May 2017, Sarout was arrested by Tahrir al-Sham after being accused of participating in an anti-HTS protest in Maarat al-Nu'man.[18] He was released on 24 June and charges against him were dropped.[19]

Death
Syrian rebel supporters demonstrate after they held a prayer for Sarout at the Fatih Mosque in Istanbul, 9 June 2019, which drew criticism from the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).[20]

He died on 8 June 2019, during the 2019 Northwestern Syria offensive, after engaging in combat with the Syrian Army at Tal Malah village.[21][10][11][13][22] According to a Jayish al-Izza spokesperson, as well as the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, he died in a Turkish hospital in Reyhanlı, Hatay from wounds sustained two days prior,[23] when he was struck by Syrian Army artillery, after his unit clashed with the army in northern Hama.[24][22][25] He was taken a day later to the village of Al-Dana in rebel-held northwestern Syria, to be buried with one of his deceased brothers.[17]

References
  1. "Document: rebel commander robs 2.3 Million $ allocated to break Homs Siege". Zaman al-Wasl. 16 June 2014.
  2. "الساروت أوصى بـ"المهاجر" خليفةً له .. لماذا ومن هو !؟". Step News Agency (in Arabic). 23 June 2019.
  3. Saka20100 (8 November 2011), الفنانه فدوى سليمان في قلب المظاهرات في البياضه-حمص, retrieved 9 June 2019
  4. "Abdul Baset Al-Sarout - Songs of the Syrian Revolution". 24 August 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  5. "Syrian Soccer Star, Symbol of Revolt, Dies After Battle". The New York Times. 8 June 2019. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  6. "London 2012 Olympics: Syrian goalkeeper takes a stand in Homs as national side aim for Olympics". Telegraph. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  7. "Abdul Baset Al Sarout Live Blog". AlJazeera.net. 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  8. "The Departure of Abul Baset Al Sarout, the guardian of the revolution". AlJazeera.net. 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  9. "Syria reacts to Arab League suspension – Sunday 13 November 2011". Guardian. 13 November 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  10. Desk, News (8 June 2019). "Former Syrian National Team member turned rebel commander reportedly dead after Hama battle". AMN – Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  11. "Syrian football goalie who became rebel icon dies in battle". www.egyptindependent.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  12. "The Return To Homs". Proaction/Ventana Films. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  13. "Star soccer player turned rebel icon dies in Syria fighting". Reuters. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  14. "Syrian footballer, singer and rebel Abd al-Basset al-Sarout killed in northern Syria". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  15. "Nusra turns guns on rebels in effort to capture 'only corridor' into blockaded north Homs". Syria Direct. 4 November 2015.
  16. "Syrian 'rebel icon' dies after clashes". 8 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  17. Bulos, Nabih. "Syrian rebel leader's death spurs debate about his legacy". latimes.com. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  18. "Front victory arrest Abdul Baset Al-Sarout on charges of incitement". Al Etihad Press. 30 May 2017. Archived from the original on 3 June 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  19. ""Edit Sham" acquits Abdel Basset Alsarut". Enab Baladi. 24 June 2017.
  20. Fehim Taştekin (13 June 2019). "The Syrian funeral that divided Turkey". Al-Monitor.
  21. "'Revolution Icon' Abdul Basset al-Sarout died of wounds sustained in Hama battles: commander". Zaman Al Wasl. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  22. "Syrian footballer and 'singer of revolution' killed in conflict". The Guardian. 8 June 2019. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  23. "Syrian goalie-turned rebel icon dies in Turkey". Ahval. 9 June 2019.
  24. xmarn (8 June 2019). "The death of Abdul Basit al Sarout on Jun 8, due to wounds sustained in a shelling by Syrian regime on a front in Hama". Syrian Network for Human Rights. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  25. "Syrian goalkeeper who became rebel icon dies in Hama battle". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
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