Date: December 2, 2024
Tel: 202-682-4131
Email: richard@indefenseofchristians.org
Washington, DC- In Defense of Christians (IDC), the nation’s leading advocacy organization for Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East, expresses great concern for Aleppo’s minority Christian community following the rebel takeover of Syria’s second largest city—Aleppo. IDC remains vigilant for developments affecting Syrian Christians.
On November 29, the jihadist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized full control of Aleppo, driving the total withdrawal of Syrian government forces from the city and its environs. HTS fighters are now battling for control of Hama in their southward advance. This development is the most significant threat to stability in Syria following several years of stalemate in the Syrian Civil War, which began in 2011.
HTS is a Turkey-backed rebel group which has operated under several names during the Syrian conflict, including “Jabhat al-Nusra.” It is an ideological offshoot of al-Qaeda, and includes Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (of ISIS notoriety) among its founders.
IDC’s contacts on the ground report that Christians have become the target of widespread crime and vandalism in Aleppo. Basic necessities—including food and medical care—are scarce and inaccessible.
Thousands of Christians have fled the ancient city and are internally displaced. Christians who have remained in Aleppo live in significant fear, as violence against Christians may intensify rapidly. IDC will continue to monitor the situation closely.
According to IDC executive director Richard Ghazal, “Syria is home to the world’s most ancient Christian communities, who still live in trauma after over a decade of frequent occupations, and persistent persecution, by Islamist terror groups.”
Ghazal continued: “At a juncture in history when these Christian communities are on the brink of eradication, humanitarian response must be handled with the utmost urgency and human compassion. The United States and the international community must consider all means available to provide relief in mitigation of this humanitarian crisis. In the face of a human tragedy of this magnitude, humanitarian support should not be conditioned on a political litmus test.”
According to the U.S. State Department, “U.S. and international sanctions include exemptions for humanitarian aid.”
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