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Syrianhistory.com Archive
Ibrahim Challah was a soldier in the Syrian Gendarmerie, on duty when orders came to bring down the Syrian Flag and hoist, then salute, the French one instead. They all refused, and this was used as a pretext by the French to bomb the Parliament building, then invade it and set it ablaze. A 24-hour air raid of Damascus ensued. Challah played dead to avoid the French onslaught, and lived long enough to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Syrian Independence in 1996.