Syria: young Christian says ‘minorities are being crushed’ from all sides
ICC Note:
Christians and other minorities in Syria are being “crushed” in the countries ongoing conflict, reports Independent Catholic News. “Who gave the militia the order to kill on the basis of religion? What right do they have to kill innocent civilians?” a young Christian said.
12/6/2012 Syria (Independent Catholic News) – In Syrian society are being crushed in a conflict that is growing in intensity and is increasingly becoming a struggle between different tribal and religious factions – that is the view of a young Syrian Christian, driven from his home in Hassake, with his family to the town of Ras al-Ain, on the border with Turkey, in upper Mesopotamia.
The civilian population in the area beyond the Euphrates (Eastern Syria), has been devastated by the conflict that has resulted in an exodus of civilians, displaced especially from the cities of Hassake and Kamishly. From there, the local Bishops have sent an urgent appeal to the international community and the Pope, “to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe”.
In Ras al-Ain, captured by troops of the Free Army on 8 November, clashes between Kurdish and Arab military factions are currently underway. These two factions were previously united against the Syrian regular army.
The young Christian, who claims to be close to the Syrian opposition and requested anonymity for security reasons, described the plight of minorities (Arabs, Kurds, Syrians, Assyrians, Christians) in Mesopotamia. He said: “In the middle of the night, at two on 8 November, residents of Ras al-Ain were awakened by the sound of explosions, of helicopters and machine guns. They were the fighters of the Free Army and Turkish helicopters reached Syrian territory and easily conquered the border crossing and the city. The military began to seize civilian homes to use them as fighting positions. My grandfather’s home was among those that were seized, where there were women, children and my paralyzed grandmother.
“All civilians were expelled from their homes in pajamas, without being able to take documents, money or anything else. Military and combatants went further: with a ‘black list’, they went from one house to another looking for their enemies. Among these were the names of the heads of Christian families.
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