Why is Hama so significant in Syria?
The city witnessed one of the most brutal acts of repression in Syrian history, analysts and observers say.
In 1982, al-Assad’s father, Hafez, who was then president, ordered the killing of members of the Muslim Brotherhood who were occupying the city.
The targeted people were part of a movement trying to remove the al-Assads from power and had taken over the city after ambushing army troops.
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The government responded by bombing Hama for several days while Syrian troops moved in to crush the uprising.
In the following weeks, Syrian forces laid siege to the city, going door to door to kill, torture and arrest any young men they believed to be with the opposition, according to Amnesty International.
It is estimated that between 10,000 and 40,000 people were killed in Hama – the precise figure is still unknown.