ROME — Syria's Christians are living in “trauma” after Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo, was recently taken over by jihadists, a leading Christian persecution monitoring group has reported.
Christian Advocacy Group (IDC), a leading U.S.-based advocacy organization for Christians in the Middle East, noticed This week, it was announced that the jihadist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had taken full control of Aleppo and forced the complete withdrawal of Syrian government forces from the city and surrounding areas.
“HTS is a Turkish-backed rebel group that has operated under several names during the Syrian conflict, including 'Nusra Front,'” the IDC wrote, adding that the organization is ideologically an offshoot of al-Qaeda. “It also includes Abu Bakr,” he added. Among the founders is al-Baghdadi (of ISIS infamy). ” HTS is designated a terrorist organization by the United States.
The fall of Aleppo to jihadist control on November 29 is the “most serious threat to Syria's stability” since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the IDC warned, adding that HTS fighters are now , are fighting for control of Hama, which is moving south.
Following the takeover, Christians in Aleppo have become “targets of widespread crime and vandalism” and lack basic necessities such as food and healthcare, the IDC added.
HTS rebels have imposed a curfew on churches, and last Sunday a bomb fell on the Franciscan compound of Terra Santa University during a missile attack on Aleppo.
While only attacking, damaged Buildings were destroyed and there were no casualties, but the minority Christian community lives in increasing fear.
Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, reported that “tension and fear among the citizens of Aleppo are increasing over the unexpected development of the ongoing conflict.”
Additionally, the violence has already caused thousands of Christians to flee Aleppo and become internally displaced people, while those remaining in the ancient city live in “grave fear,” IDC reported. .
“Syria is home to the world's oldest Christian community, which continues to live in trauma after more than a decade of frequent occupation and persistent persecution by Islamist terrorist groups,” IDC said. said Executive Director Richard Gazzal.
Ghazal said the humanitarian response must be handled with “utmost urgency and humanitarian compassion” as these Christian communities are “on the brink of eradication”.
In the face of such a huge human tragedy, “humanitarian aid should not be subject to political litmus tests,” Ghazal said. Syria is currently under the regime of Russian-backed dictator Bashar al-Assad.
