{"id":75940,"date":"2020-05-15T13:00:01","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T06:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freeburmarangers.org\/?p=75940"},"modified":"2021-09-01T22:21:47","modified_gmt":"2021-09-02T02:21:47","slug":"can-christians-others-survive-northeast-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.freeburmarangers.org\/my\/2020\/05\/15\/can-christians-others-survive-northeast-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Christians and Others Survive in Northeast Syria?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can Christians and Others Survive in Northeast Syria?<\/h1>\n

15 May 2020<\/em><\/p>\n

Tel Tamir, Syria<\/p>\n

\"Over
Over 1,000 year old Syriac church near Diwar, northeast Syria<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dear friends,<\/p>\n

Thank you for praying for us and helping us help those in need on this last mission to Syria. We could not do this without you and we thank God for you being a part of this team.<\/p>\n

The war in Syria rages on. In Idlib, western Syria, Syrian, Russian and\u00a0Iranian forces are on one side attacking Turkish-supported terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and Al-Nusra, and jihadi-affiliated groups such as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Both sides rely on terror and the slaughter of civilians to achieve their aims.<\/p>\n

Caught\u00a0in the\u00a0middle\u00a0are\u00a0civilians, over 700,000 of whom have fled north into the countryside. Barred from entering\u00a0Turkey, they crouch\u00a0against the\u00a0Turkish border wall and live in tents and shelters scattered across the countryside. Over 2,000\u00a0people have\u00a0managed to flee into northeastern Syria and into the territory\u00a0controlled by the US-supported Syrian\u00a0Democratic\u00a0Forces (SDF). This area is one of the few\u00a0relatively safe areas of Syria and the only one\u00a0with any form of democracy.<\/p>\n

\"Church
Church damaged by Turkish machine-gun fire<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, in\u00a0October 2019,\u00a0the US\u00a0broke its promise to the Kurds, Christians, Yezidis and Arabs of this area and allowed the Turks and their jihadist proxies, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), to invade and\u00a0displace over 200,000 people. This was an act of ethnic cleansing as\u00a0Turkey drove out the\u00a0Kurds and\u00a0Christians and brought in Arabs from other parts of Syria. The disaster in Syria has\u00a0become worse but we\u00a0believe God has a way and that it is\u00a0not too late to take corrective action. Our\u00a0recommendations are below.<\/p>\n

During our recent\u00a0mission in January and\u00a0February 2020, we went back to northeast Syria to give\u00a0help,\u00a0hope, and love. After providing relief for people fleeing Idlib, as well as follow-up care for\u00a0some of the over 200,000 people displaced by the Turkish-led invasion of northeast Syria, we were asked by the Syrian Christian community to help them. The Christians of northeast Syria used to number over 200,000 and now, due to the\u00a0attacks first of ISIS and then the Turkish-led forces, only\u00a0about 60,000 remain. In the area of Dereck (northeastern corner of Syria) over 90% of the\u00a0population used to be Christian, but now less than 30% are.<\/p>\n

\"Tunnels
Tunnels being dug outside the Christian town of Dereck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMy grandfather was one of three in\u00a0his\u00a0family who\u00a0survived the\u00a0Turkish massacre of\u00a0Armenian\u00a0Christians in 1915 and he fled here to Syria. Now we have had to flee again, first\u00a0from ISIS then now the Turks. We are\u00a0forgotten and abandoned. Will America help us?\u00a0Will they keep\u00a0their\u00a0promise? We joined them\u00a0in the fight\u00a0against ISIS and they\u00a0betrayed us. They told us that if we\u00a0worked\u00a0with them, they would not let the Turks attack us. But instead, they ran away and let the Turks in. Why? What did we do wrong? What did we do to deserve this? Can you tell me?\u201d pleaded a Christian farmer.<\/p>\n

We\u00a0told them we were sorry and agreed\u00a0that what the US did was\u00a0wrong. We love our\u00a0country and we prayed for a change to US policy. We stood with them in the cold wind and prayed, our hope in God who changes hearts, and leaders in America who can find a better way.<\/p>\n

As we drove along the Syrian-Turkish border, we passed through empty villages that used to be full of Christians. Even the villages that were still\u00a0populated only had a few families left. All are afraid of another\u00a0Turkish invasion and the Christian militia is too small and under armed to stop it. The Christians are appealing to the\u00a0international community to\u00a0help prevent\u00a0another Turkish invasion that would sound the death\u00a0knell of\u00a0Christians here.<\/p>\n

They are also\u00a0afraid of the Assad regime\u00a0taking over as many\u00a0will be arrested for their stand for freedom with the self-administration government of northeast Syria. Many\u00a0Christians we met had been jailed and tortured earlier by the Assad regime\u00a0and fear their return. Along\u00a0with imprisonment, the Assad regime keeps a tight control over the\u00a0Christian\u00a0population and bans the use of the\u00a0ancient Syriac\u00a0language the Christians use.\u00a0While Christians in the Assad-controlled area would rather\u00a0have the Assad regime in\u00a0charge than ISIS or the Turks, what they really want is to live with more freedoms, as many do now in northeast Syria.<\/p>\n

\"Syriac
Syriac militia members at outpost near the border<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the border, we joined a group comprised of a local\u00a0Syriac\u00a0Christian NGO, the Syriac Cross and Syriac Military Council, which is part of the\u00a0Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which is the US and\u00a0coalition\u00a0partner\u00a0against ISIS.<\/p>\n

Turkey has threatened to increase the area of their invasion zone of October\/November 2019 and the remaining Christian communities in\u00a0this zone are under direct threat.\u00a0The Turkish military has shelled\u00a0their villages, chased thousands from\u00a0their\u00a0homes, and killed those who dared to stay.<\/p>\n

We drove along the border close\u00a0to the wall the Turks have put up and passed by empty or near-empty\u00a0villages. We visited eight manned outposts of the Syriac\u00a0Military Council and saw how they had nothing to stop Turkish armor or air attacks.<\/p>\n

The soldiers asked us,\u00a0\u201cHow can we stop anyone from\u00a0attacking us?\u00a0Actually, we do not want to be soldiers. We only are\u00a0because no one will defend us.\u00a0Please tell our story and help us. We trust in God and we will\u00a0not give up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u201cThank
\u201cThank you for coming,\u201d said this Christian farmer couple outside a church shelled by Turkey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Syria: Recommendations, Actions, and Reasons<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Recommendations<\/strong><\/p>\n

We recommend the U.S. maintain the three points of strategy already declared for improved stability in the region: enduring defeat of ISIS, support of democracy, and limiting destructive foreign forces such as Iran. These are all connected: the enduring defeat of ISIS in Syria requires social, religious, relational, educational, political, economic and military action only possible in a stable and democratic NE Syria.<\/p>\n

\"Turkish
Turkish position at Diwar, near the northeast corner of Syria<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Actions the US can take<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Politically recognize the Autonomous-Administration of North and East Syria as a state in the future Syria and lift sanctions from this jurisdiction. They have a functioning, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual democracy with freedom of religion, justice, and opportunities for all people. This has been attacked, the area of democracy diminished, and its existence threatened by the invasion of Turkey and Turkish-led proxies. This has strengthened Iran, Assad\u2019s Syria regime, and the Russians. A strong and whole NE Syria limits these forces and gives the U.S. a strategic partner and friend in the region.<\/li>\n
  2. Establish a no-fly zone over NE Syria and work with Turkey so that the Turkish forces and their proxies, such as the FSA, immediately leave the zone they invaded in October 2019. Secure this border instead with U.S.-supported Christian, Kurd and Arab SDF forces. Facilitate the return of over 200,000 Kurds, Christians and Arabs who were displaced by the Turk\/FSA invasion.<\/li>\n
  3. Provide relief assistance to displaced people who come or are already present in the SDF area. Work with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and SDF to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance and to support the rebuilding of the destroyed infrastructure and cities in NE Syria. This will provide jobs, improve the quality of life, give hope and create places the old and new IDPS can settle in.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"Turkish
    Turkish position from where they shelled the Christian villages near Qamishli in November 2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Reasons to support these actions<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. It is a way to right the wrong of our broken promises to the people of northeastern Syria and the SDF. To rebuild our relationship with SDF and the Kurds, Christian, Arabs, Yezidis and others who are part of it and whom are suffering because we allowed them to be attacked. It is a way to make friends with these people, to show we care and develop new relationships.<\/li>\n
    2. Puts the US in a morally strong position from which our enemies will respect us more and our friends trust us more.<\/li>\n
    3. Limits Iranian, Russian, and Turkish power and limits Assad’s power.<\/li>\n
    4. Dilutes and stops the spread of ISIS, the FSA, HTS and other jihadist forces.<\/li>\n
    5. It is a way to strengthen the SDF who are of great tactical and strategic to US interests.<\/li>\n
    6. Creates a viable reason to redeploy US troops where needed in northeast Syria.<\/li>\n
    7. This is a way that Christians would be protected and the Christian refugee communities, who fled first ISIS then the Turkish attacks, would have a place to return to.<\/li>\n
    8. The people of the Idlib area are in desperate need. It is a moral imperative to help them and the US has the ability to do so. Love is never crazy or wasted and has deep and far reaching rewards for all.<\/li>\n
    9. Creates a true safe zone in northeast Syria that helps people and protects democracy and allows it to grow. This is in contrast to Turkey’s zone of invasion and Assad’s zone of death and destruction.<\/li>\n
    10. Thank you all who pray for us and help the people here. Please pray for\u00a0policymakers as\u00a0they try to help.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      God bless you,<\/p>\n

      Dave, family, and FBR<\/p>\n

      \"Abandoned
      Abandoned Syriac church near the border with Turkey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"Tunnel
      Tunnel materials in the background of this farm. The tunnels are to escape Turkish shelling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"Sahale
      Sahale in a frontline bunker across from the Turkish border and next to a church that was attacked<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"With
      With new friends at a Syriac church that is still functioning<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"In
      In an area under regular attack, a herder braves Turkish fire to feed his sheep<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"\u201cI
      \u201cI will not run away, God gave us this land,\u201d said this Christian leader near Dereck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"Sahale
      Sahale and Suu sing at St. Suzanne Church in an area hit by Turkish artillery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"A
      A church near Tel Tamir that was destroyed by ISIS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n