Christian parties commemorate victims of ISIS attacks in NE Syria
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Christian political parties gathered on Sunday to commemorate the victims of the Islamic State (ISIS) attacks on villages along the banks of the Khabur River in the countryside of Hasakah, northeastern Syria.
Armin Mardo, a representative of the Foundation of Assyrian Martyrs’ Families, told North Press, “Those responsible for the massacre against the Assyrian people must be held accountable.”
On Feb. 23, 2015, ISIS launched a large-scale assault on Assyrian villages in the Khabur basin in the countryside of Tel Tamr, seizing 33 villages, killing dozens of Assyrians, and abducting nearly 200 people.
Mardo added, “We call on the countries that support us and the United Nations to uphold our people’s rights in the new constitution. As a community, we coexist peacefully with all other groups. We seek a secular constitution that guarantees the rights of all communities.”
Attendees also urged that the new Syrian constitution be secular, guaranteeing the rights of all communities, embracing pluralism, and ensuring the freedom to speak their native languages and practice their religious traditions.
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) also marked the occasion, issuing a statement on its official website condemning the 2015 ISIS attack.
The statement described the attack as “a genocide under international law,” declaring the entire Khabur Plain and its villages as a disaster-stricken area.