The truth about Syria

[Yervant1]

THE RAPE OF KASAB, SYRIA

OpEd News
Sept 16 2014

By Declan Hayes

Kasab's descent into hell began at 5.30 am precisely on March 21st 2014
when merciless shelling from the Turkish side of the Syrian border
rained down on the undefended Armenian village, not only sending its
2,000 residents into panic but portending the apocalypse that was
about to befall them.

Over 20,000 fanatics from al Nusra, the Free Syrian Army and a
number of other extremist groups swarmed over the border on motor
bikes, pick-up trucks and Western ambulances converted into troop and
munitions carriers for this blitzkrieg. Though hopelessly outnumbered,
lightly-armed Syrian troops held off the invaders until the inhabitants
could be evacuated. Sunnis, Shias, Alawites and Armenian Christians all
fled for their lives from these fanatics who some Western commentators
still insist, against not only all the evidence but against common
sense as well, are progressive liberators; several Kasab residents,
such as Hovian Khatcherin, found themselves fleeing from these Islamic
hordes for the third time, having previously been forced to flee Raqaa
and Aleppo for her life. Such are the perils that are part and parcel
of daily life for the Levant's remaining Christians and for which
there seems to be so little pro-active sympathy beyond Syria's borders.

The "liberators" systematically desecrated all Kasab's churches,
they looted the village's graves, they scattered the bones of the
deceased around the town for stray dogs to scavenge on, they stripped
every house and outhouse of anything of value, window and door frames
included, and these fanatical despots even hoodwinked the West's press
into praising their actions as some sort of praiseworthy activity
against the supposedly tyrannical regime in far-away Damascus.

Kasab's very elderly residents, who were too infirm to flee, were
ferried, against their wishes, into Turkey and, like the earlier
kidnapped nuns of Ma'lulah, were cynically paraded to pretend their
kidnappers had their interests at heart. Pepken Djourian and his
wife find that a particularly bitter pill to swallow as the invaders
executed their only son in front of them and let him to rot for
three days in the sun before throwing him like a dog into a hastily
dug hole in their apple orchard, a particularly apt analogy as his
murderer said that Kevork's death meant they "had one less Armenian
dog to worry about". Following his murder, Kevork's parents were held
against their will for the next forty days in Turkey, where their
kidnappers even brought Turkey's American ambassador to admire how
well they were being treated and where noted author Nizar Khalil
willingly acted as interpreter between the aged Armenian captives
and their Turkish captors.

Kasab's residents are convinced all of this was done with the full
connivance of the Turkish government. Kasab is in the very north-west
tip of Syria and there is no other way to attack it than with the
permission of the Turkish authorities through the heavily-militarized
hills of nearby Turkey. Indeed, Samuel Poladian, who stayed in Kasab
for the entire occupation, lives only 200 metres from a Turkish police
station and, like all the others, he not only claims he heard Turkish
military helicopters overhead on the morning of the invasion but that
Turkey orchestrated the whole outrage. Because the Turkish side of
the border is speckled with countless army outposts and because not
even one of the invaders nor one of the looters was arrested or even
detained on the Turkish side of the border, their claims and their
contrary narrative are much more credible than Turkey's lame excuses
for these crimes.

The Armenians claim the Kasab outrage, which was directed solely
against Armenian Christians, was Turkey's brutal way of showing the
Armenians and the Syrian government and army which protect them that,
just as in 1909 and in 1915, they can occupy Kasab and slaughter its
inhabitants at will any time they choose to. The willful destruction
of the centre of Kasab, together with all its churches, makes sense
within that framework. What does not make sense to the people of
Kasab, or to those of the Aramaic-speaking town of Ma'lulah I visited
a few days earlier is why they have been so completely and utterly
abandoned by the Christians of the West, so much so that the departing
fanatics booby-trapped the entire town of Ma'lulah with bombs marked
as donations to the Free Syrian Army by the European Union. Neither
of these ransacked Christian towns has received even one penny in aid
from the West, which seems to focus its relief efforts on the refugee
camps the rebel extremists and their Turkish hosts control and use
as forward bases to attack those they denigrate and dehumanize as
"Cross worshipers" and who we should regard as fellow human beings
we are duty bound to help.

Though the Syrian Arab Army retook Kasab on 15 June 2014, the
Armenians' nightmare has not ended. Less than 800 of Kasab's more than
2000 residents have returned to their wrecked and looted homes, the
schools are bereft not only of all teaching materials, the liberators
having burned the lot of it, but also of the wherewithal to replace
them with, their orchards, their means of making a living stand fallow,
the trees being more "collateral damage" caused by their erstwhile
"liberators" who have promised to return again with a vengeance,
the Western world, together with the Armenian diaspora, have other
"more important" things to concern themselves with, their tormentors
commit stomach-churning atrocities on a daily basis and Turkey and
other sinister forces lurk in the long grass, waiting to strike at the
defenseless Christian Armenians of Kasab whenever is most opportune
for their nefarious agendas.

Unless people of goodwill act, the Christians of Syria will follow
the Christians of Iraq and Turkey itself into the trash can of history.

Syria shows that the maxim that, for evil to prosper, it is only
necessary for people of goodwill to do nothing remains as true as
ever. Islamic extremists are using funds collected in the West to
wage wars of extermination on the minorities of Syria, Iraq, Northern
Nigeria, the Central African Republic and a number of other communities
and countries that have been targeted for destruction.

April 24, 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide
which Armenians worldwide intend to commemorate and to use to call
for an end to such unspeakable acts of terror. We should join them not
only in that call but into the calls for help by the people of Kasab,
of Malulah and of all of Syria and Iraq.

-- Dr Declan Hayes is currently on his third trip to Syria this year.

He is helping organize a conference in Damascus for April 24th 2015,
tentatively called: Syria: Between Destruction and Reconstruction
to mark the murder of all Syria's innocents and to help plot a way
forward out of the morass.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Rape-of-Kasab-Syria-by-Declan-Hayes-Ambassador_Attack_Beheadings_Christian-140914-360.html

[Harut]

Here is an easy-to-use chart to determine the moderateness of a Syrian rebel...

[Yervant1]

19:10 22/09/2014 » SOCIETY

Sharmazanov: Holy Martyrs Armenian Church’s blowup is cultural genocide

Vice-Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Edward Sharmazanov met with Czech Republic Senate Vice-President Miluše Horská in Prague.
In his remarks, Mr Sharmazanov condemned the terrorist act against the Holy Martyrs Armenian Church in Deir ez-Zor. He called it cultural genocide and added that it was destruction of not only Armenian spiritual values, but also of common Christian values and it was the continuation of the destruction of Armenian monuments in Nakhichevan and in Turkey.
He said that the international community’s condemnation of the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage could have prevented the explosion of the Holy Martyrs Church in Deir ez-Zor.

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

16:45 22/09/2014 » POLITICS

Vigen Sargsyan: Turkey must condemn terrorist act against Holy Martyrs Armenian Church

Chief of Armenian Presidential Administration Vigen Sargsyan has commented on the terrorist act against the Holy Martyrs Armenian Church in Deir ez-Zor.

“On September 21, Armenia’s Independence Day, ISIS militants mined and blew up the Holy Martyrs Armenian Church in Deir ez-Zor. Deir ez-Zor is a desert, which became a road of death to one and a half million Armenians who were killed in the Armenian Genocide of 1915 perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire. This is yet another proof that the crime of genocide continues as long as it is not recognized and punished completely. If Turkey has nothing to do with the terrorist act against the Holy Martyrs Church in Deir ez-Zor, it must immediately issue a condemning statement,” Vigen Sargsyan wrote on Facebook.
Related: Armenian MFA strongly condemns terrorists’ destruction of Armenian Genocide Memorial Church

Source: Panorama.am

[Arpa]

ROCKETS OVER RAQQA

Rockets Bursting in Air

http://www.cityofwarrensville.com/resources/uploaded/images/53ab2b4359893.jpg

http://crazifornia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Rockets_Red_Glare.jpg

 

Survey this map and see that Raqqa is half way between Aleppo and Deir Zor** that was in the news a few days ago when those dogs attacked the Armenian Church/ Genocide Memorial

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/77762000/gif/_77762285_syria_airstrikes_230914_624map.gif

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/77762000/gif/_77762285_syria_airstrikes_230914_624map.gif

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29321136

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The US and five Arab allies have launched the first strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria.

The Pentagon said warplanes, drones and Tomahawk missiles were used in the attacks, which targeted several areas including IS stronghold Raqqa.

The US and five Arab allies ?

Allies?? Those mangy pups of a female dog ՔԱԾՈՐԴԻՆԵՐ who laid that rotten egg , hatched it, and now that they feel the heat, they sense that tha chickens are coming home to roost, they panic.

The US in alliance with Assad should create a corridor for those terrorist so they can go north to furkey and south to those so called 5 allies..

** http://www.accc.org.uk/der-zor-genocide-memorial-church-museum-severely-damaged-video/

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg514036.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is yet another clear proof that Genocide continues until it is fully recognized and punished. If Turkey is not linked to this terrorist attack on this Church, carrying special significance to each Armenian, it shall immediately come up with a strong statement condemning ISIS activities", Vigen Sargsyan stated.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Arpa

[Yervant1]

16:09 03/10/2014 » SOCIETY

Aleppo barrel bomb attack causes substantial damage

Nor Kyough Armenian neighborhood of Aleppo was hit by barrel bombs made of napalm on Thursday. Seven apartments were burnt down. The attack inflicted substantial damage, Gandzasar Weekly said in a Facebook post.
Young men from Nor Kyough helped the residents extinguish the fire and transported them to a safer location.

On Wednesday, extremist forces fired a homemade rocket at Nor Kyough. A young Arab man was killed and two Armenians were injured.

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

TURKEY PLANS TO OCCUPY NORTHERN SYRIA: ARMENIAN REVOLUTIONARY FEDERATION

19:35, 8 October, 2014

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS: Turkey's behavior related to the
events in northern Syria, shows that Turkey pursues distinctplans to
occupy northern Syria by means of the "Islamic State". As Armenpress
reports, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) has circulated
a statement about this. It is stressed in the statement that Turkey
has closed that part of its border with Syria not to allow extending
aid to Kobani's Kurdish opposition through its road.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation expresses its support to all
the forces resisting this aggression of Turkey and demands the
international community to prevent the aggression by all means, to
ensure security for the peaceful population in the whole region. ARF
considers Turkey to be the main responsible for the tragedies taken
place on Kobani.

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/779377/turkey-plans-to-occupy-northern-syria-armenian-revolutionary-federation.html

[Arpa]

In Washington, Protesters Demand Kobane Intervention 

By Yerevan Saeed 11/10/2014

 

http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/11102014

 

Look at the writers name, YEREVAN Saeed? Seems like he is an Iraqi Kurd, at the Fletcher School of Diplomacy.

[Yervant1]

17:01 16/10/2014 » IN THE WORLD

Islamic State 'being driven out of Syria's Kobane'

The Islamic State militant group has been driven out of most of the northern Syrian town of Kobane, a Kurdish commander tells the BBC.
Baharin Kandal said Islamic State (IS) fighters had retreated from all areas of the border town, except for two pockets of resistance in the east.
US-led air strikes had helped push back the militants, she added.
It comes as the new UN commissioner for human rights described IS as a "potentially genocidal" movement.
Baharin Kandal, who commands Kurds fighting in east Kobane, said in a phone interview with the BBC's Kasra Naji that she hoped the city would be liberated soon.
Ms Kandal said her militia group had been receiving arms, supplies and fighters but she refused to say how, the BBC’s correspondent on the Turkish border near Kobane says.
The battle for Kobane, which is also known as Ayn al-Arab, is regarded as a major test of whether the US-led coalition's air campaign can push back IS.
The predominantly Kurdish town is close to Syria's border with Turkey.

Source: Panorama.am

[Arpa]

Syria.

Rattling of Sabers.

Russian sword.

http://worldcollectorsnet.com/newsnew/newstories/russianarms.jpg

furkish yataghan

http://oriental-arms.com/photos/items/36/003736/ph-0.jpg

 

Putin was infuriated and vehemently warned Turkish President from further interfering in Syrian internal affairs otherwise Russia is ready to thwart Turkey from triggering a catastrophic war in the region.

What will Putin do and say when that er-DOG-an interferes in the underbelly of Russia, as they already have.

-----

http://awdnews.com/top-news/10153-an-intense-phone-call-between-vladimir-putin-and-turkish-president-deteriorated-an-already-strained-relation-between-turkey-and-russia.html

 

A fiery phone call between Erdoğan and Putin ended in firing mutual threats[//b]

Moscow- Nov 09, 2014, The pugnacious Turkish President made a rare telephone call to his Russian counterpart to discuss the latest regional developments,particularly Syrias raging conflict.

According to Moscow Times, a renowned Russian English-language daily newspaper, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who stepped up his customary belligerent rhetoric against the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, told his Russian counterpart that Turkey has allegedly reached a threshold where it cannot remain indifferent toward the human carnage in the Arab war-torn country, but to Erdoğans surprise, Putin was infuriated and vehemently warned Turkish President from further interfering in Syrian internal affairs otherwise Russia is ready to thwart Turkey from triggering a catastrophic war in the region.

The Turkish flabbergasted president then asked Putin whether his fiery remarks meant a direct threat against Turkey and Putin replied: Mr. President, You may construe whatever interpretations you wish from my words.

The Russian president also reminded Erdoğan to the bitter fact that it is Turkeys erroneous and bellicose policies vis-à-vis the Syrian crisis which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of innocent civilians and further urged the Turkish megalomaniac president to desist from supporting Jihadi terrorists whom set up training camps and safe havens inside the Turkish territories.

Dr. İsmet Bayraktar , a distinguished University professor ,specialized in the political and social history of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey believes that Erdoğan during his phone call, tried to somehow dissuade Putin from continuing Russias considerable military and political support to embattled Syrian president but as it appears Moscow cannot find more loyal and trustworthy alternative to Assads regime.

The two Black Sea neighboring countries differ extremely in regard to their approach to the Syrian conflict. Turkey is keen for a regime change in Syria, while Russia remains one of the staunchest supporters of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Arpa

[Yervant1]

TURKEY DOOMED TO FALL UNDER ERDOGAN: EX-PRESIDENT

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:12AM

Related Interviews:

'West plan to destroy Syria, decades-old'

Related Viewpoints:

'Russia prefers economy over politics in Turkey'

Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul has slammed the government
of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warning that Ankara is doomed to
collapse if it continues its foreign policy on Iraq and Syria.

Gul criticized the new Turkish president's policies vis-a-vis the
chaotic situation in neighboring Syria, saying, "I am sure that one
day (God forbidden) the chickens of Erdogan's past follies in Syria
will come home to roost."

The former Turkish leader further acknowledged that Ankara's spying
agencies played a key role in facilitating the transport of Takfiri
militants fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar
Al-Assad since the crisis erupted in the Arab state in 2011.

Erdogan's strategic blunders in neighboring Syria and Iraq are behind
the emergence of the ISIL Takfiri terrorists, who have been committing
atrocities in the areas they have under control in both countries,
according to Gul.

He slammed the US-led "idiots' club" coalition currently carrying
out airstrikes against ISIL militant hideouts in Iraq and Syria.

Gul added that some Saudi-backed terrorist organizations operating
against Syria such as the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front had been
working with Western spy agencies, including the CIA.

He added that mutual cooperation existed "between Turkey's National
Intelligence Organization (MÄ°T)" and the ISIL extremist terrorists.

The ISIL terrorists entered Iraq in June. The violence is seen as a
spillover of militancy from Syria, where Takfiri groups fighting the
Damascus government are enjoying support of the US and its allies
including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

SZH/MKA/KA
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2014/11/21/386920/turkey-doomed-to-fall-under-erdogan-gul/

[MosJan]

Hovannes jan yerkar jamanak e vochinch ches grel barekam .. mi 2 togh gry terekananq inchpes es ..

[Johannes .]

Hovannes jan yerkar jamanak e vochinch ches grel barekam .. mi 2 togh gry terekananq inchpes es ..

Հաշիւս ջնջեցի։ Զայրացայ, երբ պատմական նիւթով ինծի՝ կապիկի նմանցուց մեկը Կապիկը նա է, ով հայ ազգի պատմութիւնը մինչեւ Եւրոպայի սառուցեալ դարաշրջանի աւարտը կը հասցնէ։

 

 

Մենք, հայերս քաղաքի, ընդհանրապէս լաւ ենք։ Հրթիռները քաղաքի հիւսիսային կողմը կ'իյնան, ամէն օր տասքսան հատ։

 

Անձնապէս լաւ եմ։ Ամէն ինչով ապահովուած։

[Johannes .]

http://hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=57752&page=5

[Johannes .]

Ես ալ վիրաւորեցի ոմանց, ըսի՝ որոշ հայեր պատմութիւն կը կեղծեն։ Եւ խօսքիս վրայ հաստատ եմ։

[Yervant1]

ARMENIAN DISTRICT HIT IN ALEPPO BLAST

12:39 * 10.12.14

The historical Armenian neighborhoods of Aleppo continue facing mortar
and missile attacks and rocket blasts amid the continuing clashes.

An Armenian national prelacy and a church were the target of a recent
attack. Armed rebels have also hit a jewelry market in the city's
Farhat neighborhood, a local Armenian news outlets reports in a post
on Facebook.

A makeshift rocket fell and exploded on a residential building whose
top floor had an apartment belonging to an Armenian and workshops owned
by Armenian jewel-makers. The damages are said to be only material.

The neighborhood has remained deserted in the wake of the rebel
attacks, with most of the Armenians having moved to safer areas.

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/12/10/aleppo-farhat/1531643

[Yervant1]

SITUATION IN ARMENIAN-POPULATED KESSAB UNSTABLE, RESIDENTS EVACUATED TO LATAKIA

16:14, 24 Dec 2014

The situation in the Armenian-populated Syrian town of Kessab is
again unstable, Yerakouyn reports.

The town, that just started reviving after the tragic events in spring,
came under shelling two days ago, after a rocket strike on the nearby
Leghi Jur checkpoint.

The majority of the Kessab population was reevaluated to Latakia.

Groups of armed militants could be seen at the border with Turkey,
according to military sources.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/12/24/situation-in-armenian-populated-kessab-unstable-residents-evacuated-to-latakia/

[Yervant1]

ESCALATION AROUND KESSAB CALMS DOWN: REPORT

December 25, 2014 - 17:36 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian-populated Syrian town of Kessab saw
certain escalation in recent days. Women and children were evacuated
to neighboring Latakia, with men left behind to guard the town,
Karabakh-open.info said.

The town, that just started reviving after the spring 2014's tragic
events, was under the threat of shelling 3 days ago, after the rocket
strike on Leghi Jur checkpoint nearby.

At present, the situation has calmed down, with Kessab residents
urging against spreading unverified information.

According to earlier reports from military sources, groups of armed
militants were noted at the border with Syria.

Located in the northwestern corner of Syria, near the border with
Turkey, Kessab had, for a while evaded major battles in the Syrian
conflict. The local Armenian population had increased in recently years
with the city serving as safe haven for those fleeing from the war-torn
cities of Yacubiye, Rakka and Aleppo. On March 21, extremist foreign
fighters launched a vicious attack on Kessab civilians, forcing them
to flee neighboring Latakia and Bassit. Hundreds of Kessab Armenians
found refuge in Latakia.

The 3-year civil war in Syria took the lives of over 170,000 and
displaced around 9 million. Before the war, Syria was home to around
80,000 Armenians. At present, 10,000 left for Armenia and 5,000
for Lebanon.

[Yervant1]

PRAVDA, Russia
Dec 30 2014

Sydney Sheikh believed responsible for Syrian massacres, kidnappings

30.12.2014
By Tim Anderson

Researchers, officials and residents hold Sydney Sheikh Fedaa Majzoub
responsible for two appalling massacres and kidnappings in Northern
Syria. Worse, the sectarian sheikh has for some time enjoyed
protection from the Australian media as well as from some political
figures.



Majzoub has been implicated in the mass atrocities at Ballouta and
Kessab, both near the Turkish border. In Ballouta (August 2013)
around 200 villagers were killed and another 200 kidnapped, by a
combination of FSA and al Nusra jihadists. The same groups invaded the
mainly Armenian Christian border town of Kessab (March 2014), killing
80 people and desecrating churches.

Syrian officials have identified Fedaa Majzoub as a key organiser of
the Ballouta atrocities and he has admitted involvement in the Kessab
kidnappings, suggesting however that they were humanitarian
'evacuations'. The only Australian member of the now defunct Syrian
National Council (SNC), Majzoub remains a member of the NSW branch of
the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC). The ANIC has made no
statement on his activities in Syria.

Fedaa's younger brother Mustapha was killed in August 2012, in an area
near jihadist-occupied Selma, in northern Syria. At that time the
Australian media mostly repeated the family's claim that he had gone
to Syria for humanitarian or religious purposes. Other evidence makes
it clear, however, that he joined sectarian jihadists. On his Facebook
page, before his death, he expressed great joy that '72 from the
shabeeha [Alawi or loyal government supporters] have just been
captured in the Kurd mountains in Latakia. It's going off everywhere,
Allahu Akbar.' One of his friends asked 'Have they been slaughtered
yet?'

Nevertheless, the Arabic language newspaper An-Nahar (27/08/12)
published a statement from the then NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell,
mourning the death of 'respected cleric' Mustapha Majzoub. This was
despite the fact that, five days earlier, The Australian newspaper had
quoted intelligence sources saying that Mustapha was 'known to law
enforcement and the intelligence community for extremist views'.
Indeed, the younger Majzoub's public lectures had vilified the
minority Alawite community as 'enemies against Islam', calling for
'the highest level of jihad' against them.

Sheikh Fedaa Majzoub is every bit as sectarian as was his little
brother. US citizen Lily Martin Sahiounie, married into a Muslim
family and resident in northern Syria for decades, used to live next
door to the Majzoub family. She says Fedaa preached "sectarian hatred
... a basic Wahhabi, al Qaeda type of radical Islam".

Regardless of this, the Tel Aviv based correspondent for the Sydney
Morning Herald, Ruth Pollard, went to visit Fedaa Majzoub in Salma - a
visit which necessarily required illegal, jihadist-hosted entry into
Syria. In a puff piece she spoke of Fedaa as an 'honest broker' who
was attempting to 'build bridges' between the SNC and the Free Syrian
Army (FSA).

Much of the Australian corporate media remained protective of Fedaa,
even after the Syrian Government accused him of direct involvement in
the Ballouta atrocity.

In December 2013 Syria's Communications Minister Omran al Zoubi told
an Australian delegation, of which I was a member, that 'the jihadist
Sheikh Fedaa al Majzoub is responsible for the kidnapping of 106
people and, unfortunately, he was using Australian telephone networks.
The worst of this is that the Australian Government is well aware of
this. But it has turned a blind eye.'

The Ballouta massacre and kidnappings was even documented by the
Washington-based Human Rights Watch, which usually moves in lock-step
with the Obama White House, blaming the Syrian Government for all
crimes and shielding the so-called 'moderate rebels'.

Lily Martin Sahiounie was very close to this massacre. She says:

'In August 2013, Radical Islamic terrorists entered at night the
sleeping village of Ballouta ... They went methodically from house to
house killing men, women and children in their beds. They cut open the
stomach of a pregnant woman and hung the fetus in the trees. Many
survivors ran for their lives and later gave their eye witness reports
of what happened. The Radical Islamic terrorists kidnapped 100 small
children, and a few older females ... [they were held] in a basement
underground in the Syrian village of Selma'.

Lily notes that 44 of the Ballouta children were released in a
mid-2014 prisoner swap, nine months later. Many are believed still
held in Selma, to this day. From evidence of those released:

'they endured torture, abuse and some of the children [were] killed by
the terrorists. They said their captors were a mixed group: some were
Syrian and many were foreigners ... several of the terrorists spoke
Arabic ... [but] also spoke English much of the time among
themselves'.

Two reports have emerged (ISTEAMS and Mesler) saying it was videos of
these children, drugged and held hostage in Selma, that were sent to
jihadists in the East Ghouta (rural Damascus), to be uploaded and used
in the infamous chemical weapons incident two weeks later. No trace
was ever found of the bodies of the children said to have been gassed
in the East Ghouta. Relatives of the kidnaped children remain too
scared to speak out, because of those still held hostage.

Independent journalist Chris Ray told The Australian of Minister al
Zoubi's accusations against Fedaa and reported in more depth at Crikey
(09/01/14). But the Minister's accusation was heavily re-spun in an
Australian headline (02/12/14): 'The respected Aussie imam smeared by
the Assad regime'. Anti-Syrian politics stopped them from denouncing
an Aussie terrorist.

Fedaa was contacted and his denial quoted by The Australian the next
day (03/01/14): 'Sheik Majzoub told The Australianthese civilians were
still being held hostage within Syria, and their captors were hoping
to negotiate an exchange for other prisoners held by the regime. 'I
heard about it, I know about it but I was not involved in it at all',
he said. He claimed he had been in Europe, working on preparations for
the Geneva peace talks.

In March 2014 another massacre and kidnapping took place in the
Armenian Christian town of Kessab, as thousands of jihadists from FSA,
al Nusra and other jihadist groups poured into the little border town,
with obvious support from Turkish troops. Multiple accounts say that
dozens were killed, churches were desecrated and many more kidnapped
and taken to Turkey.

Time magazine tried to spin the invasion as a non-sectarian 'military
offensive', with the Syrian army 'indiscriminately bombarding' the
town. Their headline (27/03/14) was kind to the al Qaeda cut-throats:
'Rebels reassure Christians after capturing key Syrian border town'.

Fedaa Majzoub is said to have admitted his involvement in the Kessab
kidnappings, in an interview with Turkish writer Yusuf Selman Ä°nanç.
His report in a Malaysian newspaper says:

'I interviewed one of the top officials of the Free Syrian Army (FSA),
Fedaa Majzoub, who organized the evacuation of the Armenians from the
town, first to a safe village and finally to Turkey. He said,
"Opposition groups have nothing to do with the Armenian population. We
captured the town as a part of our war strategy. We are trying to go
down to Latakia to increase the pressure on Damascus. Young Armenians
and Arabs left the town. We helped the old people and sent them to
Turkey".'

However Armenian news agency reports say 2,000 people from over 600
families fled their homes in advance of the invasion. The Armenian
National Committee International said it had warned of just this sort
of attack 'for months'. Their reports say 'three days of brutal
cross-border attacks from Turkey, by al-Qaeda affiliated armed bands
... have cost 80 lives and forced the civilian population of the area
to flee to the neighbouring hills, with many seeking safe haven in ...
Latakia and Basit.'

Lily Martin Sahiounie owns a house in Kessab, and says it was
destroyed. 'I was in Kassab on June 17th ... 2 days after liberation
... all three churches were destroyed ... they [had] lit huge bonfires
and burnt the entire interior of the church ... [the village] was not
bombed from the air ... it was damaged by street fighting ... [and
from] vandalism by the terrorists ... [including graffiti] threats
like 'Be Muslim or Die'.'

Irish academic Dr Declan Hayes also visited Kessab, in August, with
Syrian colleagues. He mostly confirms the Armenian news reports.
'Kessab was [still] covered in intimidating graffiti .. the town was
systematically robbed ... Not only were the churches vandalised with
crosses and the like removed but the rebels lit tyres in the churches
... there was wide scale vandalism to the graveyard ... sending out a
strong message that Armenians have no future in the areas they [the
jihadists] control ... though [some elderly people] do confirm that
they were well treated in Turkey, they also confirm that none of them
wished to be 'liberated' by these rebels ... [or] moved to Turkey.'

In Kessab Dr Hayes and his colleagues found a letter written (in
English) by an Australian jihadist to his family, indicating there was
at least one other Australian involved in that attack.

Lily says: 'the 24 elderly people were first held hostage in Kessab
for 11 days ... then moved from Kessab to Vikify (Turkey) ... the
[same] day that Ahmed Jarba [the US-backed opposition leader] arrived
... Kessab had no military significance ... I believe that Fedaa
Majzoub plotted to keep those 24 elderly people hostage, [so] they
could later use them in a prisoner exchange.'

During the occupation of Kessab, Majzoub was involved in setting up a
new religious group in Turkey, which he insisted was non-political.
Despite his own recent background in the SNC and the FSA, he claimed
the Syrian Islamic Council was 'a religious reference body without any
political agenda'. However the group's President Osama Rifai said the
group wanted to 'help assure stability in the country "after Assad
falls" '.

Lily Martin Sahiounie has complained about her own [uS] government's
involvement in the attacks on Syria and is furious at the Australian
involvement in these atrocities. She says: 'Radical Islam is alive and
well in Sydney. It is so well cultivated there, that they even export
it. Yet while the Australian media had non-stop coverage of the siege
and resulting death of two persons in Sydney, they have not mentioned
the innocent unarmed Syrian civilians maimed, killed and kidnapped by
well-known extremist Muslim residents of Sydney.' She says: 'Fedaa
Majzoub should be hunted down, arrested and tried as a war criminal'.

http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/30-12-2014/129432-sydney_sheikh-0/

[Yervant1]

Dispatch: Syria rebels 'burned down churches and destroyed Christian graves'

When insurgents stormed Kessab, they posted pictures of themselves
protecting ancient churches. But a visit to the Syrian town tells a
different story.

A broken cross lies on a desecrated grave in Kessab's Armenian
cemetery Photo: Ruth Sherlock/The Telegraph

By Ruth Sherlock, Kessab
2:09PM GMT 03 Jan 2015


Rain seeped into the tombs through shattered flagstones. Nearby,
marble crosses lay in pieces. Plastic flowers, once lovingly placed on
a grave, were torn and stamped into the earth.

Beside the desecrated graveyard in the Syrian town of Kessab stood the
Holy Trinity Armenian Evangelical church. Its library, pews and altar
had all been burned by arsonists.

The perpetrators had shown both purpose and glee in their destruction
of Christian sites in this ancient Armenian town. Statues were riddled
with bullets and Islamist slogans were scrawled across the walls of
homes and shops.

Once a haven from Syria's civil war, nestled in the hills of Latakia
province, Kessab gained international fame when it was captured by
rebels last spring in a surprise offensive that forced the town's
2,500 Armenian Christians to flee.

Turkey was widely accused of helping the insurgents to capture Kessab,
despite the participation in the attack of Jabhat al-Nusra, an
affiliate of al-Qaeda.


But the Syrian armed forces took back the town in June after it had
endured three months of rebel occupation. The Telegraph travelled to
the area on a facility trip with the Syrian regime to witness the
aftermath of the battle.

The desecration of Kessab's churches contradicts the claims of Syrian
rebels that their fighters are non-sectarian protectors of Christian
residents and heritage.

The evidence also fails to support counter-claims by pro-government
groups that Armenian Christians were "massacred" during the rebel
offensive.

When this assault began last year, Turkey's then prime minister, Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, was facing a general election and his rebel allies in
Syria were losing ground to regime forces. The offensive on Kessab was
intended to bolster both the insurgents and their Turkish backers.

During weeks of planning before the assault, rebel fighters were given
strict orders to use the offensive to show themselves as "moderate
Muslims" and natural allies of the West.

Kessab is protected by a mountain range, acting as a natural fortress
against invasion, and the Turkish border almost surrounds the town. It
was only when Turkish troops allowed free movement across the frontier
that the rebels were able to storm and capture Kessab.

In the first hours, all appeared to be going according to plan.
Insurgents, including those from the Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham,
posed for pictures showing them protecting churches and talking gently
to local people.

About 30 Armenians, who had been too elderly or frail to escape the
offensive, were placed on minibuses and driven to Turkey, where they
were given a warm reception that was covered in minute detail by state
television.

Ignoring the participation of Islamist extremists in the offensive -
including a large number of foreign jihadists - Ahmed Jarba, the head
of the Syrian National Coalition, travelled to Kessab and claimed a
victory.

But immediately after the media spotlight fell away, residents of
Kessab told the Telegraph that the desecration began.

"They took photographs to show they were looking after the churches,
and then set them alight," said Father Miron Avedissian, priest of the
Armenian Apostolic church that was largely destroyed. "It all still
happened in the first day."

If Western-backed rebels tried to stop the rampage by their extremist
allies, there was little evidence of a struggle.

Doors, walls and shopfronts on the town's narrow streets are covered
in scrawled messages declaring "There is no God but Allah".

The white paint is still fresh on the walls of Father Avedissian's
church as he tries to repair the damage.

Tufts of burned carpet on the staircase, and partly melted
air-conditioning units on the walls, show the intensity of the fire
that wrecked its interior.

The priest flicked through photographs on his iPhone: one image showed
himself inside the church, pointing to a vandalised painting of Jesus
and the Virgin Mary. Outside, the crosses carved into the stone over
the wide arch doors were riddled with bullet holes.

Nearby, the Holy Trinity Armenian Evangelical church was little more
than a burned shell. Walls were blackened by smoke; wooden pews,
tapestries, Bibles and kneeling cushions had all been incinerated in a
fire that appeared to have raged until there was nothing left to burn.

Inside the Holy Trinity Armenian Evangelical after it was burned
during the rebel offensive on Kessab last spring (Ruth Sherlock/The
Telegraph)

Writing, ostensibly by the rebels, covered the church's walls. The
names of the rebel groups who participated in the attack appeared to
be listed. The graveyard was little more than a field of smashed
masonry, its headstones individually defaced.

The Telegraph cannot independently confirm that all of the damage was
inflicted by the rebels.

Zavinar Sargdegian, a 58-year-old resident, said that she witnessed
the churches being set alight.

"I was at home with my husband when they raided the house," she said.
"They broke down the front door. They pushed us on to the street. We
were on our knees and they put a gun to our heads. From the road I saw
the Angelic Church burning. Fire was coming out of the doors and
windows."

The rebels included men from Chechnya, Tunisia and Libya, she said.

Other residents, who said they returned to their homes when Syrian
forces recaptured the town, described finding the churches and the
graveyard destroyed.

Tweets dating from the days after the rebels stormed the town on 21
March include pictures of jihadists destroying crosses in the
churches.

Soldiers patrolling in Kessab in front of one of the burned buildings
(Ruth Sherlock/The Telegraph)

Others show them setting fire to shops selling alcohol and smashing
glass bottles in the streets.

For the past two years, rebel-held areas of Latakia province have been
the domain of some of the most hardline extremist groups.

Christians have not been their only targets. In 2013, jihadists swept
into several villages in Latakia inhabited by the Alawite minority.
They murdered dozens of civilians and kidnapped hundreds of women and
children, some of whom are still missing. Extremists from the Islamic
State of Iraq and Levant (Isil) are believed to have joined these
attacks.

Across Syria, hardline Islamists have gained dominance over the rebel
movement fighting to overthrow Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Joshua Landis, an expert on the conflict, estimates that non-Islamist
rebels now control less than 5 per cent of Syria, with the rest of the
country divided between the regime, Isil or Jabhat al-Nusra.

Most of Kessab's people were able to escape before their town fell to
the insurgents. There is no evidence of the "massacre" of civilians
claimed by regime loyalists - at one point supposedly "proved" with
images that were later identified as shots from a horror film.

But the fall of the Armenian town summoned bitter memories of
persecution. In 1909, tens of thousands of Armenians were killed
during the Adana massacre under the Ottoman empire.

Then in 1915, a further 5,000 residents of Kessab were killed by the
Ottomans during what some historians consider the "genocide" of the
Armenian minority.

Today, Kessab is coming back to life, but the lives of those people
who have returned to their homes seem far from secure. Turkish
soldiers can be seen on hilltops near the town, manning the border
checkpoints through which the rebels crossed to carry out the attack.

The occasional explosion of tank shells served as a reminder that the
civil war is still close by.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11323109/Dispatch-Syria-rebels-burned-down-churches-and-destroyed-Christian-graves.html

[Yervant1]

Turkey supported Jabhat Al-Islamiyya militants destroy Armenian
cathedral in Syria's Aleppo

January 10, 2015 By administrator


Militants from the Islamic Front's (Jabhat Al-Islamiyya) largest
milita Harakat 'Ahrar Al-Sham (Liberators of the Levant Movement)
fired multiple mortar shells Friday, Jan 9, at the St. Rita Cathedral
in the Al-Tillal District, resulting in the exterior destruction of
this historical Armenian Catholic Church in the Aleppo Governorate,
Al-Masdar News reported.

The St. Rita Cathedral has been targeted by Harakat 'Ahrar Al-Sham on
numerous occasions; it holds no strategic advantage to these
militants, due to the fact that civilians - specifically, Aleppo's
large Armenian community - attend this church. Non-Armenian Catholic
civilians occasionally utilize the Cathedral's wells because of the
absence of water in some communities due to the obstruction of the
water flow to the people of Aleppo.

According to a source in the area, no civilians were harmed as a
result of this callous attack on the Cathedral; however, there were a
number of hellfire cannons fired into the surrounding civilian
neighborhoods by the militants of Harakat 'Ahrar Al-Sham.

The attack on the St. Rita Cathedral in Al-Tillal comes 4 months after
the destruction of the Armenian Genocide Memorial by militants from
the Islamic State in the Deir ez-Zor province.

Syria's Armenian community is one of the largest in the Middle East -
the city of Aleppo was a safe haven for many Armenians attempting to
flee the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks.

Photo: Almasdar News
Related links:


Al-Masdar News. Armenian Cathedral Destroyed by the Rebels in Aleppo
http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/armenian-cathedral-destroyed-rebels-aleppo/

http://www.gagrule.net/turkey-supported-jabhat-al-islamiyya-militants-destroy-armenian-cathedral-syrias-aleppo/

[Arpa]

Secret Schools in Aleppo

http://tv-o.org/video_listing/januar-05-2015-secret-school-for-aleppos-children/

(Children in besieged Aleppo attend a school held at a secret location, inside a house. Their teacher\s previous school was bombed five times, but still more children want to attend than can fit inside the new location.)

Next will be School Uniforms

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HijabCompilation.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2210/4395052550_875508db12.jpg

[Yervant1]

Armenian soldier killed in Syria

12:19 * 29.01.15


An ethnic Armenian soldier has been killed in military operations in
Syria's Deir-ez-Zor city.

According to the Aleppo-based Armenian weekly Gandzasar, the new
victim has been identified as Hakob Saba, 21. He was conscripted from
Aleppo.

The situation in Syria's economic capital has been tense in the past
days. An Armenian catholic prelacy and church came under fire
recently.

Over 100 Armenians have been killed since the eruption of the war in
the country. Many among them were reported to be conscripts.


http://www.tert.am/en/news/2015/01/29/syria-soldier/1573107

[Yervant1]

12:10 19/02/2015 » SOCIETY

Phone records reveal Turkey’s involvement in Kessab

Media reports based on eyewitness and opposition sources saying that Turkey has become a party to the civil war in Syria have found their way into court proceedings, Al-Monitor reports, according to Asbarez.
During the trial of the Islamic State (IS) militants who attacked Turkish security forces at Nigde last year, court files revealed that Turkey, beyond supplying opposition forces with weapons and ammunition, had also given artillery support to the opposition groups that captured Kessab.
The prosecutor obtained striking admissions by tapping the defendants’ phones. According to documents obtained by Ahmet Sik of Cumhuriyet, the wiretapping transcripts reveal that the opposition forces at Kessab informed people in Turkey of the coordinates of Syrian army positions around Kessab, after which Turkish forces shelled those locations.
On March 21, armed Syrian opposition groups entered Turkey from five different crossings and re-entered Syria at the Yayladag border crossing and captured Kessab.

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

Wiretaps reveal Turkey's attacks on Syrian regime positions
By Fehim Tastekin
February 18, 2015


[summary: Court documents reveal that last year, when the Syrian
opposition captured the Armenian town of Kassab, the Turkish army
shelled the Syrian army.]

Media reports based on eyewitness and opposition sources saying that
Turkey has become a party to the civil war in Syria have found their
way into court proceedings. During the trial of the Islamic State (IS)
militants who attacked Turkish security forces at Nigde last year,
court files revealed that Turkey, beyond supplying opposition forces
with weapons and ammunition, had also given artillery support to the
opposition groups that captured Kassab. The prosecutor obtained
striking admissions by tapping the defendants' phones. According to
documents obtained by Ahmet Sik of Cumhuriyet, the wiretapping
transcripts reveal that the opposition forces at Kassab inform people
in Turkey of the coordinates of Syrian army positions around Kassab,
and then Turkey shells those locations.

On March 21, armed Syrian opposition groups entered Turkey from five
different crossings and re-entered Syria at the Yayladag border
crossing and captured Kassab.

In addition to armed Turkmen groups, al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate
Jabhat al-Nusra, the Islamic Front's most prominent group Ahrar
al-Sham, IS-affiliated Shukur el-Izz, Sham el Islam (established by
former Guantanamo prisoner Moroccan Ibrahim Binshekrun) and Ansar
al-Islam, which has links both to al-Qaeda and IS, took part in the
operation to capture Kassab. As clashes continued around Kassab on
March 23, a Syrian warplane was shot down by a missile fired from
Turkey for violating Turkish airspace. In June 2014, when President
Bashar al-Assad's army recaptured Kassab, including the high ground
known as Feature 45, the Turkish army fired on the Syrian side. The
Turkish government and military persistently said all firing on Syria
after the changed rules of engagement following the shooting down of
the Turkish jet were in retaliation for border violations on the
Turkish side. The Turkish Foreign Ministry rejected the accusation,
saying, "All claims that Turkey has been supporting the opposition
forces by allowing them to use Turkish territory or in any other way
are totally baseless."

Wiretaps tell another story

The information collected from the Nigde assailants' tapped phones
contradicted official statements. According to the recordings, Adil
Orli, the commander of the Bayir Bucak Turkmen Front, sends the
coordinates through his brother Ayhan Orli to Mehmet Toktas, the
president of the Yayladag Youth Association. In a conversation on June
7, Ayhan Orli reports that he had sent via WhatsApp the coordinates of
seven targets he had received from Adil Orli. He says, "Firing was
useful. Our friends solved the rest of the problems. But there are
still seven locations. If you fire once on each, that will be enough."

Toktas answers, "Seven locations OK. Tell everyone to stay on defense
in the coming moments."

The two also talk of military assistance. Orli complains of a shortage
of ammunition. Toktas says, "Let me talk to Ankara once more to see
what is happening. Without ammunition, nothing can be done."

In a conversation on June 14, someone called Yasar Benli asks Ayhan
Orli to arrange for the shelling of the Syrian regime's units deployed
around the cell towers on Feature 45. A short time later, Ayhan Orli
tells Toktas, "There are many soldiers on Syriatel Hill. It will be
good if you can hit them." He gives a description of the target.

On June 13, a Turkmen from the front line asks Ayhan Orli to help some
surrounded fighters cross into Turkey. Orli calls sub-governor of
Yayladag, Turan Yilmaz.

Orli: There are 20-30 men at Arfal. Can you help them cross the border?

Yilmaz: You mean now, 20-30 people? Where are they now?

Orli: At Arfal.

Yilmaz: Will they cross from near 45?

Orli: Yes, from 45.

Yilmaz: Done.

After the court documents became public, Turan Yilmaz said, "We acted
according to directives."

Main opposition Republican People's Party deputy Umut Oran brought the
issue of the Turkish army's artillery support to the parliament and
asked Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, "Why did the Turkish army open
fire on an area in Syria for no apparent reason? Doesn't this put
Turkey in a position it can't explain and rectify?"

Weapons did not go to Turkmens, but to Ansar

The court documents contain remarks that reinforce suspicions about
Turkey's help to radical groups in the form of arms shipments. In a
conversation between Ayhan Orli and President of the Syrian Turks
Association Ahmet Sirin (alias Ahmad Ohrin), they say weapons sent
from Turkey have actually gone to Ansar al-Islam.

Ansar al-Islam generally operates jointly with Jabhat al-Nusra. When
Orli says they have run out of ammunition, Sirin asks, "What happened
to those weapons that have gone to Ansar?" Orli replies, "I don't
know. You have to ask those who delivered the weapons to Ansar."

In another conversation on June 14, when Orli was saying that the
situation at Kassab was not going well, Bayir Bucak Brigade Cmdr. Col.
Ahmed Arnavut (alias Aziz Kikhia) asks, "Where are those guys who
received the trucks? Orli says, "They are not around."

The same day, Orli complains of an ammunition shortage to Samir Hafez,
the general coordinator of the Syrian Turkmen Groups. Hafez says, "We
haven't received anything for a year. You think it will come now?"
Orli retorts, "You mean, we are up for sale?"

The issue of weapons assistance to Turkmens found its way to the
national agenda when three trucks loaded with rockets were stopped at
Adana. According to the deposition of one driver, the trucks, which
belong to Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT), were to
enter Syria through the Cilvegozu border crossing. Bab al-Hawa,
opposite Turkey's Cilvegozu gate, is controlled by the Islamic Front
and Jabhat al-Nusra. But the Turkish government insists the assistance
was going to Turkmens.

Topalca: A Turkmen laden with secrets

Al-Monitor had access to information about arms shipments in the
documents about the Nigde incident. Defendant Mehmet Askar explains
that weapons are illegally shipped to Syria on behest of MIT. Askar
says that together with Syrian Turkmen Heysem Topalca, said to be
working for MIT, he was caught by Turkish soldiers while moving
weapons to Syria, but after a few phone calls they were let go and
delivered the weapons. Topalca, who was also detained in connection
with 953 warheads found at Adana, was then released.

Topalca is among those accused of arranging the escape of the Nigde
assailants to Syria. Topalca's name is also in the investigation file
of the May 11, 2013, twin car-bomb attack in Reyhanli that killed 52
people. In the indictment that referred to a June 9 report by the
Gendarmie General Command, it is stated that Topalca was caught with
warheads, that he smuggles historical artifacts from Syria to sell in
Turkey, that he is a regular supplier of ammunition for al-Qaeda and
Jabhat al-Nusra and that he had provided the vehicles that exploded at
Reyhanli. The prosecutor, citing other evidence, charged Topalca with
being the one who organized the Reyhanli car bomb attack and that he
has links to the Jund al-Sham organization.

Topalca and the Orli brothers have practically become the black box of
secret schemes with Syrian Turkmens. But that is not all. Turkey's
connections with the Turkmens, who are fighting the Syrian regime
under the Yavuz Sultan Selim Brigade, the Faith Sultan Mehmet Brigade,
the Sultan Abdulhamid Brigade, the Omer Muhtar Brigade and Ricalullah
are frequently reported on. The last report read that the Osman Gazi,
Omer Bin Abdulaziz and Omer Muhtar units, which have been fighting in
the rural Latakia region, have united to form the Sultan Abdulhamid
Khan Brigade. There was even a Turkish video made of the ceremony.

As the Syrian army increases its pressure in the Latakia area, the
number of Turkmens calling for more help from Turkey will continue to
increase.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/02/turkey-syria-weapons-civil-war-kessab-armenian.html