12/22/2020 Syria (International Christian Concern) – Attacks against the Syrian city of Ain Issa and its surrounding villages have remained ongoing for the past week. The Rojava Information Center (RIC) warns that a large number of people have been displaced because of the intense attacks in this area from Turkish-supported organizations. RIC documents that since the start of these attacks, 1,600 families (9,600 individuals) have been displaced.
No information was provided regarding the demographic breakdown of those displaced, but this is an area that before the start of the Syrian Civil War was home to a large number of Christians. The conflict and the ways in which it has evolved has further threatened their existence. Most have left, but for those who remain, every day of conflict brings them closer to making a decision to permanently leave Syria.
In this current situation, it is noteworthy that the Turkish-backed groups who are currently conducting the attacks are connected to those who recently were sent by Turkey to Nagorno-Karabakh in support of Azerbaijan’s military invasion against the Armenian Christian community. The start of these attacks in Ain Issa correlated to reports that these mercenaries were beginning to return home, but no details of this specific connection are proven at this point.
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