KHABUR: Eighth anniversary of the martyrdom of Martyr Athro, the first Martyr of the Syriac Military Council

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA — The Syriac Military Council (Mawtbo Fulḥoyo Suryoyo, MFS) today celebrated the eighth anniversary of the martyrdom of its first martyr, Martyr Athro. Tamer Bahdi, nome de guerre “Athro” or “homeland”, was killed against terror organization Islamic State in the battle over the Syriac (Aramean-Assyrian-Chaldean) villages in the Khabur River Valley.

The MFS honors his first martyr annually on February 8. Martyr Athro was born in 1973 in the village of Tal Taweel, in the Khabur River Valley. He left behind his three children, Hadeel, Shadi, and Fadi and wife Nisreen Barsoum.

The martyrdom of comrade Athro was a pivotal moment in the history of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people in North and East Syria. It drew international attention to their national cause and eventually led to them co-founding the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Established in 2013 in the Gozarto (Jazira) Region in what is now North and East Syria,  the Syriac Military Council protects the rights and existence of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people in their homeland Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia). Alongside Kurdish and Arab allied forces, they formed the Syrian Democratic Forces to jointly defend their peoples against the Islamic State and ensure religious and ethnic coexistence.

8/2/2015 – 8/2/2023
الذِّكْرى السَّنويَّة الثَّامنة لِاسْتشْهاد ، اَلشهِيد " أَثرُو- تَامِر درْويش " ، القائد اَلذِي اِرتقَى بِاسْم الوطن نَحْو العلْياء شامخًا ..
الرَّحْمة والْخلود لِأرْوَاح شُهدائنَا الأبْرار .@SyriacMFS pic.twitter.com/Y9eaup9G5i

— Aram hanna (@aram_hanna2) February 8, 2023