Syriac Military Council continues resistance against Turkish-backed factions

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA — North and East Syria media outlet Hawar News Agency published a profile on the important role of the Syriac Military Council (Mawtbo Fulḥoyo Suryoyo, MFS) in defending the peoples of North and East Syria.

The MFS was formed by the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people of North and East Syria to ensure their security and rights, fearing the repetition of the Sayfo Genocide of 1915.

“The Syriac people learned lessons from the massacres they were subjected to, so they began to organize themselves into military forces that take self-protection and legitimate defense as their basis,” read the article.

The MFS, which was established on 8 January 2013, is mobilized mainly in the villages of the Khabur River Valley in the countryside of Tel Tamr. In September 2015, the all-female Beth Nahrin Women’s Protection Forces (HSNB) were established.

In October 2015, the MFS co-founded the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with other groups in the region to more effectively combat the Islamic State (ISIS). The SDF liberated the last pieces of ISIS-held territory in March 2019.

The MFS also participated in military action in and around Al-Shaddadi, the villages of Tel Tamr, Raqqa, the countryside of Dayro Zcuro (Deir ez-Zor), Cafrin (Afrin), the countryside of Tabqa, Tishreen Dam, and the city of Mabbug (Manbij) against Al-Nusra Front and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA).

Since the Turkish aggression centered around cities of Rish Ayno (Ras al-Ayn) and Tal Abyad on 9 October 2019, the MFS have been stationed in defensive trenches in Khabur, defending the villages of Tel Tamr.