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Kessab:It wasn’t long after several Syrian rebel battalions overran the Armenian-Christian town of Kessab, on the border between Syria and Turkey, that apocalyptic reports of looting, abduction and mass murder started appearing in news accounts around the world. “Reports Cite 80 Dead in Kessab; Churches Desecrated,” read one headline in the diasporic Los Angeles-based Asbarez newspaper. Christian residents who had fled to nearby towns told reporters they later called home only to have rebels pick up to tauntingly tell them they had nice furniture and tasty food.
Syria: Christian Border Town of Kessab Subject to Media War - TIME
According to news reports, the armed incursion began on Friday, March 21, 2014, at 5:45a.m., with rebels associated with Al-Qaeda’s al-Nusra Front, Sham al-Islam and Ansar al-Sham crossing the Turkish border and attacking the Armenian civilian population of Kessab. The attackers immediately seized two guard posts overlooking Kessab, including a strategic hill known as Observatory 45 and later took over the border crossing point with Turkey. Snipers targeted the civilian population and launched mortar attacks on the town and the surrounding villages. According to eyewitness accounts, the attackers crossed the Turkish border with Syria openly passing through Turkish military barracks. According to Turkish media reports, the attackers carried their injured back to Turkey for treatment in the town of Yayladagi.
Some 670 Armenian families, the majority of the population of Kessab, were evacuated by the local Armenian community leadership to safer areas in neighboring Basit and Latakia. Ten to fifteen families with relations too elderly to move were either unable to leave or chose to stay in their homes.
On Saturday, March 22, Syrian troops launched a counteroffensive in an attempt to regain the border crossing point, eye-witnesses and state media reported. However, on Sunday, March 23, the extremist groups once again entered the town of Kessab, took the remaining Armenian families hostage, desecrated the town’s three Armenian churches, pillaging local residences and occupying the town and surrounding villages.
Located in the northwestern corner of Syria, near the border with Turkey, Kessab had, until very recently evaded major battles in the Syrian conflict. The local Armenian population had increased in recently years with the city serving as safe-haven for those fleeing from the war-torn cities of Yacubiye, Rakka and Aleppo.
Reports Cite 80 Dead in Kessab; Churches Desecrated | Asbarez Armenian News
Unreal.
If there is a bright side, the terrorists formerly known as rebels by our leaders have exposed themselves to be the barbarians that they are.
They are Sunni extremists that do not want to live in a multi-religious/multi-cultural Syria. Their goals are no different than the FSA's, who want Sunni rule in Syria and would end the protection the Alawite rulers have extended to non-Muslims.
The FSA tries to maintain its secular image, thats it. There is no secular resistance against the Syrian govt.They are Sunni extremists that do not want to live in a multi-religious/multi-cultural Syria. Their goals are no different than the FSA's, who want Sunni rule in Syria and would end the protection the Alawite rulers have extended to non-Muslims.
FSA is secular. Even syrian islamists are joining FSA against the alnusra alqaida forces from outside.
With over 1000 groups involved in syria I can understand how you might get confused.
I've been following events in syria for decades.
