"Following a 10-day offensive, Kurdish fighters took control early this week of 14 Assyrian villages that ISIL had controlled since February," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Assyrian Christians, who are from one of the world's oldest Christian communities, have been under increasing threat since ISIL seized control of large parts of Syria.
Thousands of Christians fled an assault by the jihadists in the northeastern province of Hasakeh in February after a spate of kidnappings by ISIL, which is still holding 210 Assyrians hostage.
Assyrians number about 30,000 among Syria's 1.2 million Christians and mostly live in 35 villages in Hasakeh, all of which are now held by Kurdish or regime forces.
Osama Edward, head of the Sweden-based Assyrian Network for Human Rights, said that the Kurds' recapture of the villages "was made possible by intense raids by the international coalition" led by the United States against ISIL.
He said that photos "show a lot of destruction of houses and churches".
"Most people are afraid to return because they fear that ISIL booby-trapped their houses before fleeing," he added.
- The Observatory also reported that Kurdish militia took control of the strategic village of Al-Mabrukah, southwest of the flashpoint town of Ras al-Ain on the Syrian-Turkish border.
Over the course of 20 days, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) seized control of 4,000 square kilometres of territory from ISIL in Hasakeh province, Abdel Rahman said....
AFP
hurriyetdailynews.com
27/5/15
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Syrian Airstrikes Kill over 140 ISIL Terrorists in Raqqa ...
ReplyDeleteSyrian fighter jets hit the ISIL positions in Raqqa province, killing at least 140 terrorists, a military source said.
A senior Syrian military commander, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that more than 140 ISIL terrorists were killed in Raqqa on Tuesday, after the Syrian warplanes heavily targeted their sites, FNA reported.
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ReplyDeleteA rebel coalition led by Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate edged into the last remaining government-held city in the northwest province of Idlib on Thursday, activists said.
The lightning offensive saw the Army of Conquest enter outer districts of Ariha within a matter of hours, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP.
"There was heavy shelling and rocket fire, then they stormed the city," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
"They have entered the city and are engaged in fierce clashes on its peripheries," he added.
Ariha, which was home to 40,000 people before the conflict began, is the last remaining government-held city in Idlib province which borders Turkey.....AFP
28/5/15