• About
  • Team
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
INCPak
  • World
  • National
    • Islamabad
    • Azad Kashmir
    • Balochistan
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Gilgit Baltistan
    • Sindh
    • Punjab
    • FATA
  • Automotive
  • Tech
    • Tech News
    • Custom Roms
    • Tips & Tricks
    • INCPak Roms
    • Reviews
    • Phone Reviews
    • Stock ROMs
    • What’s new?
    • Computer Stuff
  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Fun Time
    • Kids Corner
    • Poems
    • Stories
  • More
    • Health
    • Editorial
    • Information
    • Travel
    • Beauty
    • Food
    • Music
    • Movies
    • Sports
    • Documentaries
    • Personalities
    • History
    • Economy
    • Emergency Numbers
No Result
View All Result
  • World
  • National
    • Islamabad
    • Azad Kashmir
    • Balochistan
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Gilgit Baltistan
    • Sindh
    • Punjab
    • FATA
  • Automotive
  • Tech
    • Tech News
    • Custom Roms
    • Tips & Tricks
    • INCPak Roms
    • Reviews
    • Phone Reviews
    • Stock ROMs
    • What’s new?
    • Computer Stuff
  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Fun Time
    • Kids Corner
    • Poems
    • Stories
  • More
    • Health
    • Editorial
    • Information
    • Travel
    • Beauty
    • Food
    • Music
    • Movies
    • Sports
    • Documentaries
    • Personalities
    • History
    • Economy
    • Emergency Numbers
No Result
View All Result
INCPak
No Result
View All Result

Syrian rebels seize control of Christian village

by FIA
Jun 22, 2014
in Featured, World
0


 Syrian rebels led by al-Qaida-linked fighters seized control of a predominantly Christian village northeast of Damascus, sweeping into the mountainside sanctuary in heavy fighting overnight and forcing hundreds of residents to flee, activists and locals said .

The battle over Maaloula, an ancient village that is home to two of the oldest surviving monasteries in Syria, has thrown a spotlight on the deep-seated fears that many of Syria’s religious minorities harbor about the growing role of Islamic extremists on the rebel side in the civil war against President Bashar Assad’s regime.

The prominence of al-Qaida-linked fighters has factored into the reluctance of Western powers to provide direct military support to the rebels. It has also figured in the debate underway in the U.S. Congress over whether to launch military strikes against Syria in retaliation for an alleged chemical weapons attack last month.

After days of clashes in and around Maaloula, rebels captured the village following fierce fighting late Saturday, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group. Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman said the assault was led by Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaida-affiliated group, as well as by the Qalamon Liberation Front.

He said around 1,500 rebels were inside Maaloula, while the army had the village surrounded. Syria’s state news agency provided a dramatically different account of the battle, saying the military reported “progress” in its offensive in Maaloula.

“The army continued its military operation against terrorist elements in Maaloula village and its vicinity, inflicting a heavy casualty in the ranks of the terrorists, including their leaders,” the news agency said.

State-run TV reported that all churches in Maaloula were now safe and the army was chasing gunmen in the western hills. But residents of Maaloula reached by telephone described fierce battles in the streets that forced them and other locals to flee as opposition fighters flooded the village.

One resident said the rebels — many of them wearing beards and shouting, “God is great!” — attacked Christian homes and churches shortly after seizing the village. “They shot and killed people. I heard gunshots and then I saw three bodies lying in the middle of a street in the old quarters of the village,” the resident said by telephone. “So many people fled the village for safety.”

Now, he said, Maaloula “is a ghost town.” “Where is President Obama to see what befallen on us?” asked the man, who fled the village on Sunday. He declined to give his name out of fear for his safety.

Another resident who escaped earlier in the day said Assad’s forces were deployed on the outskirts of the village, while gunmen inside refused to allow anybody in. He said that one of the churches, called Demyanos, had been torched and that gunmen stormed into two other churches and robbed them.

A third resident reached by phone said he saw militants forcing some Christian residents to convert to Islam. “I saw the militants grabbing five villagers Wednesday and threatening them: ‘Either you convert to Islam or you will be beheaded,'” he said.

The two other residents said they heard rumors about such conversions but did not see them. The reports could not be independently verified. All three residents spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

Situated about 40 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Damascus, Maaloula had been firmly under the regime’s grip despite sitting in the middle of rebel-held territory east and north of the capital. The village was a major tourist attraction before the civil war. Some of its residents still speak a version of Aramaic, the language of biblical times believed to have been used by Jesus.

The attack highlights fears among Syrian Christians that the alternative to Assad’s regime — which is made up mostly of Alawites, followers of an offshoot of Shiite Islam — would not tolerate minority religions.

Such concerns have helped Assad retain the support of large chunks of Syria’s minority communities, including Christians, Alawites, Druze and ethnic Kurds. Most of the rebels and their supporters are Sunni Muslims.


Enhanced by Zemanta
Tags: Al Qaedaal-QaidaAssadBashar al-AssadDamascusMa'loulaMaaloulaSyria
ShareTweetSend

Related Posts

Earthquake Afghanistan, Earthquake, Earthquake Pakistan
World

Powerful Earthquake Kills 1,000 in Afghanistan

Jun 22, 2022
Muslim Countries, India, Holy Prophet (PBUH)
World

Muslim Countries Condemn India Over Insult of Holy Prophet & Anti-Islam Comments

Jun 6, 2022
Singer KK, KK, Krishnakumar Kunnath
World

Singer KK Dies at Age 53 in Kolkata

Jun 1, 2022
Sidhu Moose Wala
World

Indian Punjabi Singer Sidhu Moose Wala Shot Dead

May 29, 2022
Israeli President, Pakistan, Israel, Pakistani Delegation
World

Israeli President Confirms Meeting With Delegation of Pakistani Expats

May 29, 2022
28th May Pakistan Celebrates Youm-e-Takbeer Today
Featured

28th May Pakistan Celebrates Youm-e-Takbeer Today

May 28, 2022
Indian Court Sentences Hurriyat Leader Yasin Malik to Life-Imprisonment
World

Indian Court Sentences Hurriyat Leader Yasin Malik to Life-Imprisonment

May 25, 2022
Andrew Symonds
Sports

Former Australian Cricketer Andrew Symonds Dies in Car Crash

May 15, 2022
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
World

President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan dies at 73

May 13, 2022
Load More
Next Post
sony xperia m

Sony Xperia M Price in Pakistan [VIDEO]

Karachi target killing more than 10 killed - 10th September 2013

Smartwatch 2

Sony Smartwatch 2 review - Specs & Video

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

INCPak Discover YouTube Channel

INCPAK Discover

Latest

  • Petrol Prices in Pakistan Expected to Increase From July
  • Pakistan’s Current Account Deficit Rises to $1.4 Billion in May
  • SBP Launches Data Acquisition Portal to Report SME Financing Data
  • Punjab Rozgar Scheme 2022 – Apply Online [Complete Guide in Urdu]
  • Weather Update: Monsoon Rains Expected From June 30
  • USD to PKR – Dollar Rate in Pakistan – 28 June 2022
  • Gold Rate in Pakistan Today – 28 June 2022
  • Peoples Bus Service Karachi Routes & Fare
  • Pak Suzuki Is Not Relaunching Suzuki Mehran in Pakistan

Follow us on Twitter

INCPAK Twitter

Follow us on Instagram

Qries

USD to PKR Rates

Qries

INCPak Official logo

INCPak Official Logo

Trending

  • Petrol Prices in Pakistan
  • USD to PKR Rates
  • MTMIS – Online Vehicle Verification
  • Ehsaas Program
  • Punjab Rozgar Scheme
  • Naya Pakistan Housing Program
  • Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar Loan

Site Links

  • About
  • Team
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • About
  • Team
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

All rights reserved © 2022 INCPak - Independent News Coverage Pakistan - (Digital News Portal)

No Result
View All Result
  • World
  • National
    • Islamabad
    • Azad Kashmir
    • Balochistan
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Gilgit Baltistan
    • Sindh
    • Punjab
    • FATA
  • Automotive
  • Tech
    • Tech News
    • Custom Roms
    • Tips & Tricks
    • INCPak Roms
    • Reviews
    • Phone Reviews
    • Stock ROMs
    • What’s new?
    • Computer Stuff
  • Business
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Fun Time
    • Kids Corner
    • Poems
    • Stories
  • More
    • Health
    • Editorial
    • Information
    • Travel
    • Beauty
    • Food
    • Music
    • Movies
    • Sports
    • Documentaries
    • Personalities
    • History
    • Economy
    • Emergency Numbers

All rights reserved © 2022 INCPak - Independent News Coverage Pakistan - (Digital News Portal)