page_title: Battle of Maaloula
section_title: Jihadist attack
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Maaloula / Battle / Jihadist attack
caption_attribution_description: English: A rebel technical armed with a DShK fire at government forces during the Battle of Ma&#39;loula.
context_page_description: The Battle of Maaloula was a battle of the Syrian Civil War fought in September 2013, when rebel forces attacked the town of Maaloula, a Christian town with an Aramean population that speaks Western Neo-Aramaic. The town is located 56 km to the northeast of Damascus, and built into the rugged mountainside, at an altitude of more than 1500 metres.
context_section_description: On 4 September, a truck driven by a Jordanian suicide bomber exploded near a checkpoint of the Syrian Army at the entrance of Maaloula. The explosion gave the signal for the attack. The jihadists took control of the checkpoint, killing eight soldiers and disabling two tanks, according to opposition sources, while the Syrian Air Force led three raids against the checkpoint after its capture. During the fighting, jihadists captured the Safir hotel and used it to fire in the direction of the community below. At the end of the day, rebels took control of several segments of this historical town.
caption: A rebel technical armed with a DShK fire at government forces during the first rebel attack on Ma'loula on 4 September.
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