Christian families in the northern Syrian town of Afrin went into hiding on Sunday (18 March), as Turkish forces and Syrian rebels seized the town.
Villages in the wider Afrin region were reportedly “cleared” of Christians and other religious minorities as Turkish armed forces and Syrian rebels (some of whom are understood to be militant jihadists) advanced to seize control of Afrin from Kurdish militia.
A Christian aid worker told journalists that militants fighting with Turkish armed forces are eliminating the presence of religious minorities: “The jihadist militants consider Yazidis ‘infidels,’ while there have been announcements made that if you kill Christians, you will go straight to paradise.”
CC BY 2.0 by Freedom House
Christian activists report “war crimes and ethnic cleansing” are taking place, while graphic videos have emerged online showing the bodies of men, women and children strewn across the street.
“This horror is reminiscent of the initial actions of ISIS in Iraq … This situation foreshadows ethnic cleansing and genocide,” said Nadia Murad, a Yazidi genocide survivor who is now a UN Goodwill Ambassador in the region.
Turkey is attempting to wrestle control of the region from Kurdish security forces. Instead of protecting Christians, Kurdish militia have been known to kidnap them to serve as conscripts to fight against the Turkish army.
Global Christian News https://www.globalchristiannews.org/article/christians-go-into-hiding-as-turkish-forces-seize-afrin/
