11/23/2020 Syria (International Christian Concern) – Northern Syria’s Deputy Co-Chair of Tel Abyad’s Civil Administration has warned that local archaeological sites are experiencing illegal excavations, looting, and destruction. He says that these actions are being committed by Turkish forces and the Turkish backed Syrian National Army (SNA), reports the Syriac Press.
Though Tel Abyad is located in Syria, it sits on the Turkish border and was significantly impacted by Turkey’s October 2019 invasion of northern Syria. This city had a large concentration of Armenian Christians before the Syrian conflict, but years of civil war combined with the more recent Turkish invasion have driven them from their homes.
More recently, anti-Armenian sentiment encouraged by Turkey has resulted in a number of serious grievances. When Turkey recruited Syrian mercenaries into the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, it was done so that these mercenaries will target Armenians. Recruitment was done in Tel Abyad. The Deputy Co-Chair’s statement did not specify the details of those archeological sites which have recently suffered, but it is known that in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian archeological sites are currently being damaged by these same forces.
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