ISIS gunmen attack shops in Deir ez-Zor over refusal to pay “Zakat”
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Armed assailants, believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS), attacked on Tuesday several shops in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, after the owners refused to pay “zakat”.
A local source told North Press that the attackers opened fire with automatic machine guns on five grocery shops owned by the al-Shallouf Company in the village of Hawaij, east of Deir ez-Zor, after the owner refused to pay “zakat” — a form of extortion demanded by the group.
The attack caused extensive material damage and sparked a fire in one of the shops. The assailants fled toward the surrounding desert area after the incident, the source added.
The source indicated that the shop owner had previously received multiple threats via WhatsApp, pressuring him to pay zakat to ISIS. Despite the threats, he refused.
This incident comes just two days after unidentified gunmen targeted the home of an oil well investor in the town of Diban, also in the east of Deir ez-Zor, for the same reason — his refusal to pay zakat. That attack also resulted in material damage but no reported injuries.