Assyrian church. photo/ raphael Lebrujah
Ishtartv.com
- rudaw.net
Sylvain
Mercadier
TEL TAMR, Syria—The road to the
northern Syrian city of Tel Tamr is long, dotted with grazing livestock under
the watchful eye of young shepherds.
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
and Asayish, the local security forces check the identity of whoever goes
through this dangerous highway, one of the last connecting Tel Tamr to the
major cities of Hasakah and Qamishli.
At the entrance of the town, a
queue of vehicle forms, awaiting a final and particularly thorough check from
Asayish forces.
“The threat not only comes from
the SNA (Syrian National Army); we are also preventing the infiltration of
Islamic State (ISIS) militants into the town” explains one of the officers.
Turkish-backed proxies under the
umbrella of the SNA, have been terrorizing nearby villages for over a month to
create Turkey’s long awaited safe zone free of Kurdish forces.
Despite the ongoing conflict a
few kilometers away, some life remains in the Christian town. A few shops are
open in the streets of Tel Tamr and civilians wander the streets, albeit
surrounded by armed military personnel.
The majority of the people we
meet are internally displaced people (IDP) coming from other towns and villages
taken by Turkish-backed forces. They took refuge further south and ended up
here, only to have war follow them once again.
The only hospital in town is
managed by the Kurdish Red Crescent. Its head, Dr. Hassan, has been working
tirelessly to save lives, performing one emergency operation after another
along with his dedicated staff.
He says that they will treat anyone
who is in need.
“We are a non-partisan
organization. Despite being on the SDF side, we have sworn an oath and
are ready to heal the wounds of any human being that comes through the doors of
our hospital, be them Turkish soldiers or their mercenaries, or even ISIS
partisans,” he said.
He gives a long account of the
injuries he has seen, mentioning the strong evidence pointing to the Turkish
use of chemical weapons.
“It’s up to the
international community to take responsibility and thoroughly investigate these
accusations. We are ready to provide any assistance requested to fulfil this
international and humanitarian duty” he adds.
Pauses in the fighting are ripped
apart by intense bombing in the area, when dozens of wounded and the deceased
arrive in an endless row of ambulances.
The surrounding villages are
targeted on a daily basis by Turkish warplanes and drones.
Like many old settlements in the
area, Tel Tamr is centered around an important hill, breaking the monotony of
the otherwise flat terrain of Northern Syria. In Tell Tamr, the hill is used as
a military lookout by the Natoro brigade, an Assyrian security force.
In the small office next to
a water tower we find the head of the brigade, Robert Isho.
“The Assyrian community is
threatened by the Turkish offensive. It’s the same system as ISIS," he
said gravely.
"There is no possible
cohabitation with this army. There will inevitably be demographic engineering
in the area and it will be the end of the Christian presence here” he
claims.
Isho insists that the people of
Northern Syria are all united against the ongoing threats.
Portraits of Assyrian martyrs
fallen against ISIS in the previous battles hang side by side with those of
Kurds and Muslim Arabs.
“We are all one people” he
adds.
The number of Christians in the
area has plummeted, however.
“There were around 20,000
Assyrians in the Khabour plain, scattered in 22 different villages. Since the
ISIS attacks in 2014, this number has dropped to 1200. Most houses and churches
have been desecrated, very few [residents] have returned,” he told us.
Solidarity between Khabour's various communities is the only reason for their
survival, he added.
As we leave, he invites us
to go and visit the villages for ourselves.
“Our villages are down south,
it’s safe for now. But you’ll see how our community has been devastated. If the
Turks conquer Tel Tamr, it will the the coup de grace for us here”, he
concludes.
Tel Nasri is one of those closest
to the town. In this small settlement, not one single house stands untouched.
Traumatized by ISIS, most families fled, never to return.
In recent weeks, dozens of
families from Sari Kani (Ras al Ayn) have been allowed to settle in the damaged
houses, most of which do not have windows or doors.
“We are grateful to be here in
safety," said Ahmed, an Arab from Arishah, a multi-ethnic town
between Tel Tamr and Sari Kani.
He and his family moved in an old
house whose cracked walls barely stand together. There are no doors or windows.
Asked how they will cope with the
freezing temperatures about to strike the region, they remain
silent.
There is no international
assistance provided to the residents of Tel Nasri aside from that of the
Kurdish Red Crescent, who bring food and equipment from time to time.
In the vicinity of the Khabour, a
new camp is being built, getting ready to host thousands of families before the
heavy rains hit.
The United Nations has been
unable to assist these efforts as they were not granted permission by Damascus
to build a new camp.
If Tel Tamr falls, this camp will
be on the frontline. The IDPs housed here will flee once again, and the
ancient Christian presence in North-Eastern Syria will come to an
end.
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