Syriac Military Council commemorates 6th anniversary of Khabur resistance

TEL TAMR, Syria — The General Command of the Syriac Military Council (Mawtbo Fulḥoyo Suryoyo, MFS) and the Syriac Security Forces (Sutoro) of North and East Syria issued a statement on the 6th anniversary of the resistance of the people of the Khabur River Valley, predominantly inhabited by Syriac–Assyrians, first against the forces of the Islamic State, now against Turkey and its Syrian National Army (SNA) proxies.

In February 2015, the Islamic State attacked the villages of the Khabur region in North and East Syria. Thousands of residents were displaced. Nearly 250 Syriac–Assyrians from dozens of families were kidnapped. Homes and churches became a battleground.

The savagery and inhumanity that the Islamic State brought to bear on the Syriac–Assyrian people in Khabur was eventually repelled.

As the people of Khabur put their lives back together, a new threat emerged. In October 2019, Turkey and its proxies in the SNA — a coalition of militias, several of them with extremist ideologies, formed and funded by Turkey — invaded the cities of Rish Ayno (Ras al-Ayn) and Tel Abyad along the Syrian–Turkish border. They advanced south to the M4 highway, which runs between Ayn Issa to the west and Khabur town of Tel Tamr in the east.

Some 40 villages in the northwestern countryside of Tel Tamr have suffered repeated bombardment by Turkish and Turkish-backed forces. Large swaths of the region have repeatedly lost electricity when powerlines are cut by shelling or the Dardara power station which services the area is targeted.

The resistance in Khabur continues.

********** SYRIAC MILITARY COUNCIL STATEMENT **********

Today, on the 6th anniversary of Al-Khabur villages tragedy, where our Syriac (Aramean-Assyrian-Chaldean) people had been subjected to, after the Islamic state (ISIS) attack which caused our people mass displacement from 33 villages, in addition to the most heinous crimes of killing, kidnapping civilians, as well as destroying property and churches.

On 23rd February each year, we commemorate the memory of Al-Khabur resistance, through which our Syriac (Aramean-Assyrian-Chaldean) fighters were able to confront the most dangerous terrorist organizations (ISIS). We also remember our first martyr, Athro and other heroes who sacrificed their lives in order to liberate many of our people from the grip of the extremists and jihadists.

This attack constituted a new tragedy and massacre to be added to the list of crimes that were committed against our people. However, by our Syriac (Aramean-Assyrian-Chaldean) martyrs sacrifice, the villages of Al-Khabur had been liberated.

We have been presenting martyrs for the sake of liberating our land and defeating terrorism. We renew the pledge to our martyrs to continue the struggle until the last breath for the survival of our people and their adherence to their land in a way that guarantees their legitimate rights.